


Love in the Land of the Loveless

by this_here_alaskan_boy_907



Category: The Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: Death, Eventual Smut, Falling In Love, Fear of Death, Fluff and Smut, Fluffier than a St. Bernard, Gay, Gay Carl Grimes, Gay Male Character, Homosexuality, Lots of smut later!!, Love, M/M, Teen Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-25
Updated: 2019-09-24
Packaged: 2019-11-05 15:41:34
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Underage
Chapters: 20
Words: 39,133
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17921666
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/this_here_alaskan_boy_907/pseuds/this_here_alaskan_boy_907
Summary: Jason Parker is alone and has been for a very long time. After the death of his mother, Jason has been forced to survive on his own from a young age, and has practically mastered it. His mother left him with one message, one message that stuck with him all those years, and that message is to never give up on the power of love. Jason never gave up on love and he finds it when he meets Carl Grimes while out on a run. However, love isn't as simple as it was before the end. Will their seemingly unbreakable bond survive the ever growing tension that this post-apocalypic world creates, or will it break, leaving both of them alone and vulnerable?





	1. Meeting Carl

**Author's Note:**

> Hi guys! Just wanted to say thanks for reading! While I do a lot of writing, I never share any of it with anyone so this is a first for me. I hope y'all enjoy! I have literally no posting schedule, which might be a bad thing, but I have no idea. So, I post kinda randomly but I try to do it as often as possible. But yeah, welcome, and enjoy!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey y'all, welcome to my first chapter! I'm sorry that it's a little dry, but I promise it'll get better! I just needed to establish character and setting. Ya know, first chapter stuff. Anyways, hope you enjoy!

_ Four Years Ago _

            _“Jason! Jason, baby, you need to run!” Mom yelled, her crystal blue eyes filled with panic._

_“No! Mom, I won’t leave you behind, please!” I cried, the tears streaming down my face at an unprecedented rate._

_“Jason, baby, you listen to me. I love you so much. You are my greatest love, my greatest accomplishment. This isn’t the end of your story do you hear me? Promise me that you won’t give up.” Mom commanded, tears welling in her eyes._

_“I promise!” I cried._

_“One more thing, baby. Never give up on the power of love. This new world you will be living in will be cruel, it will be dangerous. But if there’s one thing humanity can’t give up on, it’s love. Always leave room for love in your heart, Jason. Promise me?”_

_“I promise, Mom. I love you so much.” The tears kept on flowing._

_“I love you too, Jason. Now go, baby. I’ll hold them off.” Mom said._

_I pulled her into a warm embrace and squeezed her tight. I savored the feeling of my mother’s warmth and safety, I took it in because I knew it would likely be my last. Those things would eat her, and I would never feel the warmth of my mother’s embrace ever again._

_Mom pulled me off of her. “Go, Jason.” She said._

_“I love you.” I cried. I turned and ran in the opposite direction._

I woke up in a cold sweat, my heart beating at the speed of light and my breathing rapid and shallow. I had the dream again. I swear to God, no matter what I did, I could not stop having the dream of my last encounter with Mom. I missed her so much and reliving that moment over and over again did not help me.

But it was what she told me that never left me. “Never give up on the power of love”. It was something I never forgot, and always followed. I always held onto my ability to love, and I strongly believe that it is what kept me human. I had come across so many people who had lost their ability to love, and it ruined them, caused them to do horrible things for no apparent reason. I believed that what separated me from them was my ability to love.

I heard walkers snarling at the base of the tree that held my treehouse. I looked out the window to see easily fifteen of them. I sighed and ducked back inside. I knew that they weren’t going anywhere anytime soon, so I was stuck up there until they dissipated. The last time this many of them gathered like that I was stuck up there for a couple days. Ever since then I kept a decent stock of food up there.

I walked over to the corner and grabbed my sword. That was my weapon of choice. I unsheathed it and set the royal blue sheathe back in the corner. I inspected the shiny silver blade. There was an engraving of a vine that went about halfway up the blade. It was quite aesthetic. In the blade I caught a glimpse of my reflection. My long blonde hair was a mess, as usual, and my crystal blue eyes sparkled in the sunlight.

I sheathed my sword and set it back in its place. I checked back on the walkers. A few had wandered off, but there were still quite a few there. I decided to fight them, a good way to start off the morning, right?

I clipped my sword to my faded leather belt and opened the hatch that led to the ladder. Instead of taking the ladder, I climbed onto a nearby branch and leapt over the crowd of walkers, landing successfully behind them.

“Thank you, you’re too kind.” I joked, taking a bow to the walkers as they turned and stumbled toward me.

I unsheathed my sword and began cutting them down. One lunged behind me. I slid out of the way and cut its head clean in half. “Bitch.” I muttered.

Another one took a lunge at me. I cut it down before swiveling around and stabbing another between the eyes. Already I was covered in blood. Such a wonderful day to start my morning! That was sarcasm, by the way. Blood is fuckin' disgusting and I can't shower to wash it off. Oh how wonderful it is to be Jason Parker.

I swung my sword, slashing through three walkers at once. That just left one more. The walker lunged at me, its right arm outstretched. I cut it off, deciding to play with it a little. 

"Yeah, you want me?" You want this juicy human meat? Come get it bitch." I teased, cutting off the walker's other arm.

The walker took one final lunge. I decided that I was quite done, so I stabbed the bitch in between the eyes. 

I sheathed my sword and walked down the street, heading nowhere in particular with no specific task in mind. That was one of the perks of being alone. You never have to set any agendas, all I did was walk around until I found somewhere to search or something to do.

The only issue was that I had left kind of late, so the Georgia sun was already evaporating me. I needed to get out of the sun. Luckily, I can across a convenience store. How convenient!

I ducked inside and looked around. The place was surprisingly intact. It seemed that not many people had been in there since the start. I walked back to the refrigerators and found a large bottle of water, something I definitely needed seeing as the sun just stole 100% of my body’s water. I opened it and took a long drink, letting out an overly dramatic ‘ahhhhh’ at the end.

I heard the door open behind me. I ducked down and brought my hand to the hilt of my sword. I crept behind the isle and looked out toward the door. A boy who looked to be about my age stood there, surveying the room. He was wearing a sheriff’s hat with long brown hair draping down from it. His bright blue eyes scanned the room. He was wearing a red flannel, black t-shirt, and blue straight-fit jeans. He had a Beretta holstered to his hip.

I slowly stood up and walked toward him, removing my hand from my sword. He quickly drew his gun and pointed it at me, his blue eyes filled with alarm.

“Umm, dude. I don’t know if you know this, but it’s totally uncool to point a gun at someone.” I pointed out.

“Who are you?” He asked, glaring at me.

“My name is Jason, Jason Parker. You?” I asked.

“Carl Grimes.” He replied, his gun still trained on me.

“Nice to meet you, dude.” I said.

“Yeah. You too.” He grumbled.

I grabbed a bag of beef jerky from the shelf beside me and held it out to him. “You can put that thing away, you know. It’s not like I’m gonna hurt you.”

“How do I know that?” Cark asked, glaring at me.

“Because I’d have done it already. Not to sound like an asshole or anything. That’s just what I’ve heard people say and I guess it has some truth to it, Not that I’m assuming that I could hurt you. Hell, you might be a lot stronger than me for all I know so I guess that phrase doesn’t have much validity to it, because it means that I’m assuming that I’m stronger than you which I very well might not be. Wow, now I’m rambling so I guess I’m gonna shut up. But yeah, point is, put the gun away, take the jerky. Let’s get to know each other.”

Carl smiled at me and lowered his gun. He took the jerky, sat on the floor, and ripped the bag open. “Do I make you nervous?”

“No, not at all. I just talk a lot.” I replied. I grabbed a bag of jerky for myself and sat down next to Carl.

“This is truly disgusting.” Carl said with a chuckle.

“Oh most definitely. I don’t even know how old it is but it is absolutely abhorrent.” I chuckled.

“Food is food, though.”

“That is true. Though I would much rather have some fresh cooked venison.” I commented.

“Yeah, but I guess beggars can’t be choosers.”

“Too true. It’s whatever though, this disgusting excuse for food is keeping us alive.”

"You ever wonder what we're gonna do when all the bullets in the US have been shot? Or all the food has been eaten?" I asked. 

"Yeah, all the time. Is that why you don't carry a gun?" Carl replied. 

"I don't carry a gun because they're loud. My sword allows me to go unnoticed. I can fight these things without drawing more. It's really useful. Makes me wonder why anyone uses a gun." 

"You good with that thing?" Carl asked. 

"I like to think so. Don't wanna be cocky though. I could always be better." 

"You gotta show me what you can do sometime." Carl said, smiling. 

"Oh I got you. Just wait until we find some walkers." I said with a smile.

“Jason, why are you out here alone?” Carl asked me. The question seemed to have been bothering him since we met.

“Its been that way for a while. No one seems to want me around.” I replied.

“I’m sure that’s not true.”

“Oh, no, it is. Everyone I’ve come across wants to either kill me, steal my stuff, or both. They think that just because I’m a teenager, that I can’t defend myself.”

“I know exactly what you mean.”

“You’re alone too?” I asked.

“No. I’ve got people.”

“Hmm. You’re lucky, you know. People are better than no people.”

Carl looked at me. I think he expected me to start asking questions about his group and asking to join them. I honestly didn’t see the point. Like, I knew they weren’t going to take me, so what was the point in even asking. Besides, Carl was a teenager, it’s not like his word carries any weight even if he did let me go back with him.

“That’s true. Sometimes it doesn’t feel like luck though. Sometimes all I want is to be out here alone, without people.” He said.

“Well you’re welcome to join me.” I offered.

Carl smiled. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

We talked for a long time, we laughed. It was an amazing experience. We also probably ate most of the food in the store. We were there until sundown, so my guess is we were there for about four or five hours, just talking. As the sky got darker, Carl stood up.

“I guess I better get back to my dad. He’s probably already gonna kill me for being out this late.” He said.

“Oh, yeah, okay. I’d like to hang out with you again.” I said.

I was kind of disappointed that Carl was leaving. I mean, he was the first teenager to cross my path in a long time. Hell, he was the first decent person to cross my path in a long time. I really thought the two of us could be friends.

“Same time tomorrow, here?” Carl suggested.

I felt a huge smile spread across my face. “I’ll be here.”

Okay. Bye Jason. It was really great meeting you.” Carl said, turning toward the door.

“Yeah. You too, Carl. Bye.” I said.

Carl walked out the door and I sat down behind the counter. I didn’t know much about friendship, but I was sure that I had just made my first friend.


	2. Solidifying the Bonds

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Jason and Carl experience an event that further strengthens their immediate bond.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heyyyyyyy, y'all! So I know I said I would be posting on Thursdays or Fridays, and I know it's Monday, but I don't have school tomorrow so I have nothing else to do but write chapters, so I'll probably be posting two or three, maybe four, over the next couple days. I promise that they will still be good, though! I don't believe in publishing rushed work. So anyways, enjoy this second chapter and get ready for the third! Stay Constitutional! Love y'all!!

I spent the latter part of that day just hanging around the convenience store. I considered moving in there because then I could ensure that I had a steady supply of food and water, and other tasty beverages too! However, I decided against it because I was much safer in the treehouse. That wouldn’t stop me from taking some of that food, though!

I loaded up a black backpack that I found in the corner to the brim with food, water, and some of my favorite drinks. Their Arizona supply was like actually limitless! As I headed back to my treehouse, I found it suspicious how quiet it was. There were no walkers around, no sounds in the distance. Only dead silence. See, I know that you can expect silence after the demise of human civilization, but this – this was very different – like something was about to happen.

I continued on cautiously. I knew something was going to happen, I just knew it. My eyes darted around, looking for any sign of impending doom.

That’s when I heard it.

The sound of seemingly millions of the undead snarling and growling behind me. I looked back to see that they had targeted me as their next meal. I took off running down the road. I thought I would be able to outrun them, but these walkers were _fast_.

Realizing the futility of running, I drew my sword and prepared for the fight that would likely kill me. I really should be less morbid, but if you saw how many there were, you would say the exact same thing! There were thousands!

The first walker lunged. I dodged and sliced its head in half. I cut another one down, and another, but they just kept coming. Every time I cut one down, another forty took its place, but I refused to give up. I kept cutting walkers down as they lunged.

I heard one coming up behind me. I ducked under its outstretched arms and drove my sword through its skull and into another’s. They both fell. My lungs were burning from the effort, my muscles were screaming for me to stop, but I wouldn’t give in. I couldn’t. I wasn’t about to be that coward that gave in when things got tough. So, I kept cutting them down one by one.

As I went to kill another, I tripped over the body of one I had already killed. I cried out when I fell. The walkers closed in around me, waiting to take a bite of me.

It was in that moment that I knew there was little more I could do. I could try to get up, but the minute I did one of them would get me. It was over. I failed. I closed my eyes and waited for the first one to take a bite.

That’s when I heard it. A gunshot rang through the air and the closest walker to me fell. Repeating shots fired and more dropped.

“Jason! Get up! Let’s go!” I heard a familiar voice call out to me. It was Carl! He saved me!

I got up and ran over to him, cutting down the occasional walker. “This way!” I called, running in the direction of my treehouse. Carl sprinted after me, occasionally firing back to down a walker that got too close. When we reached my treehouse, I jumped onto the ladder and began to climb like my life depended on it; because, well, it did. As soon as we both reached the top, I pulled the ladder up and closed the hatch. I leaned back against a wall, breathing heavily.

“Holy shit, dude. You just saved my life.” I panted.

“You’re an idiot, Jason. Were you trying to get yourself killed?” Carl scolded.

“That was not in my agenda, no. I might have penciled death by walker in for next week, but I have to check my schedule to see.” I quipped.

Carl rolled his eyes. “What made you think you could take all those walkers on alone?”

“Heat of the moment. I knew that running was useless because they were catching up so I figured I would thin out their numbers and then keep running. Obviously, that didn’t work out.” I replied.

I took the backpack off my back and placed it between Carl and I. “There are like twenty water bottles in there.” I told him.

He opened the bag and took out a bottle and tossed one to me. We both chugged them. Let me tell you, running and fighting in ninety degree weather tends to dehydrate a person.

“Thanks.” Carl breathed. He looked out the window before sliding down next to me. “How long before they thin out?”

“To a reasonable amount? I’d say we have a couple days. If we leave too soon, we’ll be overpowered, and any attempt might attract more. But good news is there is absolutely no way for them to get up here. That’s why I chose to live here.” I replied.

“A couple days? My dad is going to kill me. He knows I’m gone because I left a note saying that I’ll be back in a couple hours. He’d never give me permission to leave so I had to sneak out. But when I get back, he’s actually going to murder me.” Carl groaned, leaning his head back against the wall and covering his face with his hands.

“If you’re gone long enough, he’ll just be happy to see you.” I suggested.

“I hope so.” Carl said.

“You know, you could just never go back, live here with me. It would be quite the adventure. Besides, I could use the company.” I suggested.

“That actually sounds nice. But it would destroy my dad. I can’t just leave him like that.” Carl replied.

“Go back, tell him you’re leaving. I’m tired of being alone anyways.” I said.

“He wouldn’t let me leave if I went back. Why don’t you come back with me?” Carl suggested.

I scoffed. “Yeah. Like they’d accept me. I’d either be killed or thrown out on my ass. There’s no point.”

“You don’t know that. You’re keeping me alive right now. If you hadn’t been there those walkers would have gone after me.” Carl said.

I looked at him and smiled. “Okay, so you’re welcome because I saved your life.”

Carl chuckled. “As if! You’d have died if not for me!”

“You just said-!”

“I said that those walkers would have gone after me if you had been there. If I hadn’t been there, they would’ve eaten you for sure. So I saved your life, not the other way around.” Carl said, laughing.

“You know what, Carl. Whatever.” I laughed.

I got up and walked over to the hammock in the back left corner of the treehouse. I collapsed onto it. “Might as well get settled in. We’re gonna be here for a while. Help yourself to anything that’s here. What’s mine is yours.”

“I’m not going to take your stuff, Jason.” Carl argued.

“Yes you are and you’re gonna like it, Carl Grimes.” I warned, pointing a finger at him.

Carl raised an eyebrow and chuckled. “Fine.”

We sat in silence as the sun went down. I laid in my hammock and listened to the sounds of the crickets chirping and the walkers snarling. I started to drift off.

“Jason?” Carl asked softly.

I opened my eyes and looked over at him to see him propped up on one elbow, looking at me. I shifted in my hammock to face him. “Yeah?”

"Did I wake you up?" He asked. 

"No. You're all good. What's up?" I asked. 

“How old are you?”

“Fourteen. My birthday was last week.” I replied.

“Me too. But my birthday was not last week.” Carl said. “Why are you alone out here? I know I asked you that earlier, but you never really answered.”

I considered what he was asking for a moment. I never told anyone about my mother, probably because I never had anyone to tell. But especially after what happened earlier, I knew I could trust Carl. I knew that he at least cared enough for me to save me from a bunch of walkers.

“My mom… She died in the beginning, about one year after shit hit the fan. After she died, I never really wanted to find another group. I wanted to be alone because the pain of losing her was too much to bare and I couldn’t be around other people because the pain made me appear weak and people do nasty things to people that they think are weak.” I replied sadly.

“My mom died too. Last year after she gave birth to my little sister. I had to shoot her to keep her from turning.” Carl told me, pain plaguing his voice. I knew true pain when I heard it, and Carl was haunted by it. I didn’t blame him. I was too and my mom died three years ago, his only died the year before.

“Nobody should have to go through that, Carl. I’m sorry.” I said sympathetically.

“I had no choice.” Carl said, the pain intensifying in his voice.

“I know, Carl.” I said.

Soon, tears were slipping down his cheeks. People think that the pain of losing a parent goes away after at least a year. That’s not true. I still cried over my mother, so I knew that Carl had every right to cry over his.

I got off of my hammock and walked over to him. I sat down at his side and pulled him into a tight embrace. Carl buried his head in my shoulder and cried. I buried my face in his shoulder and held him tighter.

He stopped crying after just a few minutes. He pulled away from me and looked at me. “Thank you, Jason. I’ve been afraid to show how I feel because I want my dad to stop treating me like a child and I feel like if he sees me like this then we won’t. So I’ve been keeping it in. Thank you for helping me.”

“Carl, there is nothing childish about sadness and pain. It is an everyday thing now, and some people become numb to it. Experiencing pain is not childish, it’s human. It’s something that we all need to experience. The numbness to the pain makes it seem childish to many people now, but it’s not. It’s human. You have every right to cry, to feel upset. It means you’re human, and that’s something you don’t find often anymore.” I said.

Carl looked at me and smiled. “You’re right, Jason. You know, I was skeptical about you at first, but I am really glad I met you.”

I smiled back at him. “I’m really glad I met you too.”

Carl embraced me once again and I felt his body heat warming me up. There was something different about Carl. Not that I knew too much about friendship, but I felt like this one was special, and we had only just met. I knew that this was the start of an unbreakable friendship, and I took comfort in that. I made my first friend, and already we have a strong bond. I was lucky to have run into Carl earlier that day, and I was glad that he was in my treehouse instead of back with his group. I know, that makes me selfish or whatever, but it’s how I felt. This was the start of a new story, a story to be remembered. This was the start of the Jason and Carl story. And goddamn is it gonna be good!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OOOOOOHHHHHH THEY HAD A MOMENT!!!!!!!!!!! I was quaking in my boots just writing this (I don't have boots btw). Let this be the first of many moment shared by our beloved Jason and our beloved Carl.


	3. New Beginnings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Carl takes Jason back to the prison and Jason meets Carl's people.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What's up, y'all? Here's Chapter Three. I know its been only a few hours since the last chapter, but I've just been writing nonstop. I've been reviewing and revising so that I can be sure that I'm only posting quality content. But anyways, enjoy!

About a week had passed and still the walkers hadn’t budged. My friendship with Carl had greatly strengthened, which was amazing. I woke up to find Carl leaning out one of the windows, watching the walkers below us. He looked to be deep in thought. I got up and walked up to him, leaning out the window next to him and looking down at the walkers. Their numbers did not seem to have decreased. I looked to Carl, who definitely was deep in thought. Carl was one of those people who you could tell when they were considering something.

“Morning.” I said.

“Morning.” Carl greeted.

“What are you thinking about?” I queried, looking down at the walkers.

Carl sighed. “I don’t want to go back, Jason. Being up here with you has made me feel freer than I’ve ever been even though we are trapped in a treehouse. I don’t want to give this up, and I don’t want to leave you behind.”

I looked at him. “So don’t go back. Sometimes you just gotta do what’s best for you. If you think that you’ll be better off with me then stay. You can’t make every decision based on what other people want. You are more than welcome to stay with me. I would love to have you along with me. But if you decide to stay with me, I hope you’ll stick to that because I don’t want to wake up one morning to find a note saying that you left to go back to your family.”

Carl looked as if he was thinking for a moment, weighing his options. “I do, Jason. If you’ll have me, I want to stay with you.” He said with a smile.

I beamed. “Great! It’ll be so great to have someone else along.”

“I still want to somehow get the message to my father. I want him to know that I’m still alive and that I’m not alone.” Carl said.

“Then we’ll go to see him, together.” I promised.

Carl looked at me and smiled. “Thank you, Jason.”

“We’ll go as soon as those walkers chill out and walk away.” I said.

“There has to be some way to get them to disperse. A distraction, maybe.”

“We can try but luring that many of them away will be difficult and dangerous.” I replied.

“How could we do it?” Carl asked.

“We would just have to get them away long enough to get down and out. I don’t know how we would do it, though.” I replied.

“I’m guessing you don’t have anything that you could throw that would make a lot of noise.” Carl said.

“No. Our best bet is to wait until someone or something else comes along and makes enough noise that they go there.”

Carl stood up and sat down with his back against the wall. I sat down next to him. “I just need to get the message to my dad. He probably sent someone out to look for me. Goddammit, why does this have to be happening now?” Carl asked, stress in his voice.

I took his hand and intertwined our fingers, “Hey, this isn’t your fault. If anything, it’s mine. Your dad will just have to understand that, just like he’ll have to understand that you’re leaving.” I said, trying to offer some comfort.

Carl smiled. “You’re right. He’ll just have to understand.”

I tried to release Carl’s hand, but he didn’t let go. So I held onto his hand and leaned against the wall, looking up at the ceiling. “This is nice. I’ve never had a hand to hold.” I admitted.

“It’s comforting.” Carl agreed.

I smiled. It seemed like every second Carl was around, I came to like him more and more. It was like our friendship got stronger and stronger every second. I can’t really explain it. Well, I guess I just did.

“What if we didn’t tell my dad? I just never went back?” Carl asked.

“You don’t want to do that, Carl. You know your father is probably worried sick about you.” I replied.

“He’s going to be worried even if we go and tell him. In fact, if we go and tell him he’s going to keep me from leaving.” Carl argued.

“That’s what I’m there for. If he actively tries to stop you, I’ll be there to interfere.” I replied.

“I guess. I just don’t want to go back there. Plus, it’ll be risky to try and leave until the walkers leave, which might not be for a long time.” Carl said, looking away.

I squeezed his hand. “We just have to go there once and then you’re free.”

That same time the next day, the walkers had thinned out to only a couple. Once we were sure that the others weren’t coming back, Carl and I dropped the ladder and climbed down. I unsheathed my sword and cut the three walkers surrounding us down.

“Which way?” I asked.

“Umm…” Carl started, looking around and orienting himself. “This way.”

We headed off east, into the woods. It was already close to noon, so the sun was high and already roasting me alive.

“So your camp, is it a house or like a restaurant or something?” I asked.

“No. A prison.” Carl replied.

That took me by surprise. I mean, seriously, a prison sounds so safe! Why would he want to leave? I guess it was because his dad gave him no freedoms.

“A prison sounds really safe, though.” I commented.

“It is. But when your dad doesn’t let you carry a gun and forces you to farm every day, the safety just isn’t worth it anymore.” Carl replied.

“He didn’t even let you carry a gun?” I asked, shocked. I mean, at least Carl should’ve been able to carry a gun. If he was caught in any situation he would’ve been screwed. No wonder he wanted to leave.

“No. Wasn’t allowed to carry a gun.” Carl confirmed.

“That’s bullshit. A gun is essential nowadays.” I said.

“You’re telling me.” Carl retorted.

We carried on through the woods until we arrived at a clearing. A massive prison sat in the center with likely hundreds of walkers pressing up against the gate, snarling and trying to reach the tasty inhabitants. I pulled Carl down behind a bush.

“How the hell are we supposed to get past that?” I whispered.

“Follow my lead. I know what to do. And when we get in there, keep following my lead. We don’t want to start shit.” Carl replied.

“Got it.” I said.

I followed Carl over to a road that led to the front gate, which had been fortified. We slowly approached. I kept my hand on the hilt of my sword just in case the walkers got any bright ideas. As we got closer, an African American woman spotted us.

“Carl’s back!” She called.

The front gate swung open and we rushed in. As soon as the gate closed, the woman drew a katana on me, the blade pointing directly at me. I drew my sword and pointed it at her. “I don’t want to fight. It’s obvious that I’ll lose.” I stated.

“Who is this, Carl?” The woman demanded.

“Michonne! It’s okay! This is Jason, he saved my life.” Carl stated.

Michonne glared at me but sheathed her katana. I mirrored her. “That’s better. You look a lot more experienced with a sword than me. That is a fight I would not win.”

Michonne stared at me in silence. I looked over toward the prison to see a man in a white t-shirt and blue jeans and a scruffy beard walking toward us. He looked relieved to see Carl. I was guessing that this was his father.

“Carl!” He called out as he embraced his son.

“Dad. I’m sorry I left without telling you.” Carl said.

“It’s fine. I’m just glad you’re safe.” Carl’s dad said. “Who’s this?”

“This is Jason. He saved my life.” Carl replied.

Carl’s dad looked at me with gratitude in his eyes. “Thank you. I’m Rick.”

“Nice to meet you.” I said.

“Let us give you some supplies to say thank you.” Rick offered.

“Yeah, dad. About that…” Carl began.

“What is it?” Rick asked.

“I’m going with Jason. We came back to tell you.” Carl informed them.

“Like hell you are!” Michonne retorted.

“Michonne is right. You’re not going anywhere.” Rick said.

“Yes, I am, dad. I’m tired of living here, not being able to carry a gun, farming all day. I’m sick of it! I want something else, and Jason can give that to me.” Carl said.

“Carl, no. End of discussion.” Rick stated firmly.

“You can’t tell me no! If I want to leave, then I’m going to leave! I’m sick of living without my gun, without any freedom! And I’m sure as hell not sending Jason back out there alone! Not after all he’s done for me!” Carl yelled.

“Is that what this is about? You don’t want to send Jason out alone?” Michonne asked.

“That’s mostly it.” Carl replied.

I was touched. Carl didn’t want me to be alone. I was really glad to have met him. He was such a good friend and I had only just met him.

Rick looked to me and appeared to be examining me. Maybe trying to determine whether I was a threat or not. “How many walkers have you killed?”

Carl’s eyes lit up when Rick asked that question. I didn’t understand its significance, but it seemed to make Carl very happy, so I answered. “I can probably get a close estimate but that requires some very advanced math and many hours.”

“How many people have you killed?” Rick asked.

“None.” I replied.

“Why?” Rick asked.

“Why haven’t I killed anyone? Umm… Well, because even though we don’t have laws anymore, killing people is still immoral so I’m not about to walk around putting my sword through everyone I lay eyes on.” I replied.

“Okay. You can stay here. We’ll be watching you for a while, to make sure you mean no harm. Welcome to the group.” Rick said.

I had no idea what had just happened, but Carl was smiling brightly at me, so I know I did something right. So, that means that Carl and I would not be living it up on our own. I guess that meant I was part of their group. But that didn’t solve Carl’s freedom problem. He still probably wouldn’t be able to carry a gun and he’ll probably be put under watch because he snuck out. I decided we would discuss it later, but not in front of Rick.

“Carl, I realize that I’ve been unfair. You can carry your gun and you can go out on runs WITH someone else.” Rick said.

Carl’s smile got even brighter. “Cool! C’mon, Jason, you’ve got a lot of people to meet.”

“Oh, umm, okay.” I agreed and followed Carl up the hill towards the prison.

There were a lot of people there, I’d say in the hundreds. Well, at least a hundred. As we walked around, Carl bypassed most of those people but introduced me to a select few. There was Daryl, he was the redneck hunter guy, he was pretty chill; he seemed easy to get along with. Then there were Beth, Hershel, and Maggie. Hershel was the father and Maggie and Beth were his daughters. Apparently, Carl was shot a couple years back and Hershel saved his life. Then there was Carol. She was the sweetest woman alive, I swear. She had really short hair and she was always smiling but she also had a defensive side, which was pretty cool. Then there was Glenn. He was Maggie’s boyfriend. They had apparently been together for a long time. Those were the only people that Carl introduced me to, which I was thankful for because I did not feel like introducing myself to a hundred people.

 After meeting everyone and getting something to eat, Carl and I walked along the fence. Carl slid his fingers between mine and held my hand, swaying our conjoined hands.

“So what happened to going out on our own?” I asked.

“This is better. My dad is giving me some freedom and you are allowed to stay with us. We’re safer here than we are out there.” Carl replied.

“Okay. But my treehouse is still there in case shit goes south and we can always go out there for a few days if you ever wanna get away.” I said.

Carl smiled. “That’s good.”

“This is my first time being part of a group. This is a new chapter in my life.” I said with a smile.

“Then here’s to new beginnings.” Carl said.

What he did next shocked me, but in a good way. Carl pressed his lips to mine. He kissed me. It was a great kiss, a perfect kiss. The kiss of a lifetime. Not that I had anything to compare it to, but it was still perfect. I had a feeling that there was a second new beginning. The new beginning of Jason and Carl's perfect relationship, or that's what I hoped.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WOOOOAAAAAAHHHHHHH TTTTTTTTEEEEEAAAAAAAA!!!!! THEYYYY KIIIISSSSEEEDDDDDD OOOOOMMMMMGGGGGGGGGG I'M GOING INTO CARDIAC ARREST!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I feel like it could be too soon to stat their relationship but at the same time this is what y'all are reading for so I should start it sooner. So, I'm gonna keep writing this storyline unless y'all tell me its too soon. Leave a comment and let me know if y'all think its too soon! Stay Constitutional! Love y'all!


	4. Someone to Live For, Right?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Jason and Carl explore their relationship and the possibility of something more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey y'all! So I've decided to yeet any schedule, and I've just decided to post at least once a week, maybe more depending on how busy I am. I just had an AP US Government and Politics test yesterday, and I posted two chapters instead of studying. I think I did well so it's fine, but I can't keep doing that so I'm gonna write whenever I don't have too much homework. I have an AP Statistics and an AP Chemistry test next week so I don't know if I'll be able to post a chapter next week, but we'll see. Anyways, enjoy!

Carl broke the kiss and looked at me, panic and alarm in his eyes. “Holy shit, I am so sorry, Jason. Oh my God!” He said, putting his hands on the back of his neck.

“Carl, it’s fine.” I assured him, confused about his reaction.

“No, no it’s not. Oh my God.” Carl said, pacing around in circles.

“Carl. Calm down.” I said.

“I have to go, Jason. I’m sorry. Bye.” Carl said. At that, he walked off.

“What? Carl!” I called after him, but he didn’t stop.

“Dammit.” I cursed. I probably just ruined the only friendship I’d had in a long time, and it wasn’t even me! Carl kissed me! I didn’t even do anything! God, why do people have to be so confusing?

I kept walking along the fence, trying to figure Carl out. He kissed me, I didn’t force him, I didn’t engage him, and yet he got mad at me like I did something wrong! Maybe he thought that I didn’t like it which is totally untrue! I really enjoyed it, maybe more than I should. I hope he didn’t think that I didn’t like it! I knew that I should find him and tell him, but I knew that I should also give him space, so I just kept walking along the fence.

“Hey, Jason, wait up!” I heard a voice behind me.

I looked back to see Michonne jogging up to me. I stopped to let her catch up and kept walking when she did.

“Hey.” I said, looking over at the walkers.

“What’s on your mind?” Michonne asked.

I debated as to whether I should tell her what was going on. On the one hand, I could get a second opinion and maybe some advice. On the other, she barely knows me and she does know Carl so that could make things worse.

She took my silence for hesitation, which it was. “Hey. I’m sorry about earlier. I’m the one Carl comes to for things. You can come to me too. I know we don’t know each other but I think that we could be friends.” She said.

I looked over at her to see her smiling at me. “It’s Carl.” I told her.

“What about him?” Michonne asked.

I sighed. “He… he kissed me and now he’s mad at me.”

“He kissed you?” Michonne asked.

“Yeah. Is there something wrong with that?” I asked, panicked.

“No. Just surprised is all.” Michonne replied.

“But he kissed me! I didn’t initiate anything, I didn’t do anything! So why is he mad at me?” I vented.

“Maybe he’s just confused. He kissed you for a reason, but maybe he doesn’t know that reason. You just gotta give him some time, he’ll come around.” Michonne reassured me.

“He’ll come around.” I repeated.

“Do you like him?” Michonne asked.

I was surprised by the question. I hadn’t considered it. I knew that he made me feel amazing. He made me feel like I mattered and when I was around him, it felt amazing. I knew that every time he talked to me my heart melted and every time he smiled, the whole world felt brighter. I knew that every time he looked at me with his stunning blue eyes, I felt like there was nothing wrong with the world. I guess I did like him.

I smiled. “Yeah, I do. I really do.”

“Just wait for him to come around. Give him a little time and some space and he’ll come around.” Michonne reassured.

“I hope so. Because this could ruin our friendship.” I said.

“I don’t think so. Carl was willing to leave his father for you. Nothing can ruin your friendship.” Michonne promised.

“I hope your right.” I said.

“I am. I have to go. I’ll see you later.” Michonne said, turning around to leave.

“Bye.” I said.

After Michonne left, I turned around and walked around the fence in the opposite direction, hoping that Carl would come around soon. I saw him over by one of the watchtowers, but I didn’t go up to him. I just kept walking.

I sat down on the grass and looked up at the sky. There were a few clouds floating around, I just watched them pass. This whole Carl being mad at me thing was driving me CRAZY! I had no idea when he would come around, if he would come around.

“Jason?” I heard Carl’s voice behind me.

I turned around and looked at him. He looked nervous.

“Hey.” I said, looking back at the sky.

Carl sat next to me and looked at me. “Jason, I’m sorry.”

“Stop saying you’re sorry! Didn’t I tell you it was okay? Did you not here me say those words?!” I snapped. The stress of the whole situation just became too much.

Carl looked at me with pain in his eyes. I immediately regretted snapping at him. “I’m sorry, Carl.” I apologized.

“Whatever, it’s fine.” Carl said angrily. He got up and walked off.

“Dammit.” I whispered, laying back on the grass and covering my face with my hands. I had just ruined my chance with Carl. Why did I have to be so damn stupid? Ugh!

I got up and walked back to the prison. I found Rick at one of the picnic tables. I walked up to him.

“Hey.” He said.

“Hi.” I replied.

“What’s up?” Rick asked.

“I don’t have a cell.” I told him.

“You can share with Carl. He’s in C, the third cell on the first floor.” Rick said.

I was surprised that he was willing to let me room with Carl so soon. I knew that Carl didn’t want to be near me, but I wasn’t about to tell Rick that and risk my place in their group, so I walked into Cell Block C and into mine and Carl’s cell. It looked like Carl slept on the bottom bunk, so I climbed up onto the top bunk and just stared up at the ceiling.

Carl walked into the cell. “What are you doing in here?” He asked coldly.

“Your dad put me in here with you.” I replied.

“Hmm.” Carl said indifferently. He turned around and walked out.

I sighed. I hated that Carl was mad at me but there was nothing I could do. Michonne told me that I needed to give Carl time, but how much time could I give him before I lost my mind?

I just laid in my bed for quite a few hours. I had no reason to get up. I knew Carl didn’t want anything to do with me and I didn’t really know anyone else there, so I just laid on my bed, staring at the ceiling. I thought about leaving. I knew that was what Carl wanted, so I saw no reason for me to stay. I decided that I would leave. I would leave after everyone went to bed.

Carl reentered the room a couple hours later. He didn’t even greet me. He just went straight to his bed and laid down. I waited for him to fall asleep. Once his breathing slowed down and he started that cute little snore that was barely detectable but if you really listened you could just barely hear it. Ugh, it was gonna be impossible to forget this boy, but that’s how the world worked. People enter and exit your life and you just have to allow it.

I got up and left the cell as quietly as possible. I checked the room around me to see if there was no one around. There was no one around. I walked slowly out of the cell block and down to the fences. I cracked open the gate and slipped out. I pushed open the doors that blocked the front gate and sprinted off into the woods before the walkers could detect me.

I ran in the direction that Carl and I ran in to get to the prison. It was much harder to navigate in the dark, and it was a long way back. I didn’t stop running. I couldn’t stop running because I knew that if I did, I would turn back and Carl didn’t want me to turn back, so I kept running. Even when my lungs and my legs screamed for me to stop, I kept running.

Once I found my treehouse, I climbed inside and collapsed into my hammock. Things were back to the way they were before. The thing about Carl though, was that he had made a difference in my life. He made me like him. I would never forget him, ever.

As I thought about Carl, I thought about how amazing he was. How when he smiled, he had these cute little dimples. About that sheriff’s hat that he wore. About how when he laughed, he had this sparkle in his beautiful blue eyes that could bring a smile to anyone’s face. About how, when he aims his gun, he had this look of pure concentration that was so cute.

I started to cry. I was going to miss Carl Grimes. He made a lasting impression on me. I would never forget him and losing him hurt me beyond repair.

I cried for easily a few hours before I fell asleep.

That next morning, I woke up probably around noon, based on the position of the sun. I got up and opened my backpack. I grabbed a bottle of water and drank the whole thing. I grabbed a bag of Cheetos and downed the whole thing.

I sat down in the corner and just stared off. I seriously couldn’t stop thinking about Carl. He invaded my every thought. It pained me so much to think about him, yet I couldn’t stop. Tears welled in my eyes and began to slip down my cheeks.

The treehouse door opened, and Carl climbed in. “I knew you would be here.” He said.

“What are you doing here, Carl? You made it clear that you don’t want me around. So why are you here?” I asked, tears streaming down my face.

“Jason, I’m sorry. I kissed you and stormed off. I’m sorry.” Carl said, sitting next to me.

I buried my head into his shoulder and cried. “You don’t want me around.” I cried.

“Yes I do. After I kissed you, I was confused. I didn’t know what it meant, so I avoided you.” Carl explained.

I sniffled and looked up at him. “Do you know what it means now?” I asked, my voice shaky.

“Yeah.” Carl whispered.

He leaned over and kissed me. His sweet lips molded into mine. It made my insides melt. It was a kiss so amazing, I forgot about everything else. There was nothing else, the whole world vanished and there was only me and Carl. He broke the kiss and looked at me.

“I really like you, Jason.” He whispered with a smile, pressing his forehead to mine.

“I really like you too.” I whispered.

Carl kissed me again and used his thumbs to wipe the tears from my eyes. “Be my boyfriend?”

My smile grew wider. “I have to think about it.”

Carl kissed me again. “You made up your mind yet?”

“Hmm, no, not yet.” I replied with a smile.

Carl kissed me again. “How about now?” He asked.

“Hmm, okay. I’ll be your boyfriend.” I said happily.

“Yes!” Carl cheered, kissing me again.

Carl took me in his arms. I leaned back and rested my head on his shoulder. Carl kissed my forehead.

Since the end, I hadn’t been truly happy. I’d had decent moments where life didn’t suck, but I had never been truly happy. I hadn’t been truly happy until then. That moment, sitting there in Carl’s arms without worrying about getting ripped apart, that had been my first truly happy moment, where I felt like there was hope in the world, like there was a reason to carry on. I learned in that moment why Mom told me to never give up on the power of love. It was in that moment that I learned that there was love in the land of the heartless, the land of depravity, the land of the loveless.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HOLY SHIT SOMEONE CALL 911 BECAUSE MY HEART STOPPED BEATING AND MY ORGANS ARE SHUTTING DOWNNNNNN!!!!!!  
> This is the moment we have all been waiting for!! Woooowwwww they are toogggeeetttthhheeerrrrrrr!!!!!!!! But will they last? That is the question. I guess you'll just have to keep reading... Hahahahahaha I got y'all hooked! Or at least I hope so. Anyways, keep on the lookout for Chapter 5!! Stay Constitutional! Love y'all!


	5. Of the Many Benefits

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Jason and Carl return to the prison as a couple.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING!!! Some spicy shit up ahead!!! It's been a long time coming, y'all, and I figured that now is the best time to write it in to make up for the fact that I haven't posted a chapter in, like, forever. I've just been so busy with school and because we are moving back to the States this June, my dad is insistent that we do all the travelling we can, so I haven't had much time to sit down and write, and for that I apologize. Did I mention that taking 4 AP classes is really fuggin hard, because it is. Anyways, things are winding down so I've had time to sit down and write a chapter. It's a shorter one, but it's good nonetheless, I think. So yeah, sit back, relax, and enjoy!

I knew that we would have to go back to the prison. Rick would be worried about Carl, and probably angry at me. Wasn’t too much looking forward to that, but I made my bed, now I gotta lie in it, or whatever it is people say. It wasn’t just that though, the other issue was how Rick was gonna feel about mine and Carl’s relationship. Everything was so perfect, just being there, in my treehouse, with him. There was nothing wrong with anything.

“Would you still consider not going back?” Carl asked me.

I lifted my head off of his shoulder and looked at him. “Why wouldn’t you want to go back?” I asked.

“One day back there almost destroyed our friendship. You left. I just don’t want anything to happen is all.” Carl explained.

“Nothing is going to happen, Carl. Nothing is going to come between us.” I reassured him.

“Promise?” Carl asked.

“I promise.” I replied.

Carl kissed me. “I guess we should go, then.”

We got up and left my treehouse, heading back toward the prison. As we walked, Carl slid his fingers between mine and grasped my hand. I smiled at him and gave him a quick kiss. We took our time, not in any hurry.

“Carl, do you think that we will have to keep our relationship a secret when we get back?” I asked.

Carl thought for a moment. “I think so. Just until my dad gets to know you better. But we won’t really notice. There are plenty of secluded locations in the prison.”

I smirked. “I have some ideas about how we’re gonna use those secluded locations.”

“I can think of a few things too.” He replied.

Thoughts of Carl getting naked and on top of me filled my mind. I couldn’t stop picturing my hot, hot boyfriend slowly lowering his boxers, revealing his long, hard, delicious dick to me, waiting for me to take it in my mouth and suck on it until it erupts. I couldn’t stop imagining the sounds of Carl’s sexy moans vibrating in my ears as I sucked his delicious penis. I imagined him wrapping his hand around my hard dick and sucking it and pumping in until I erupted in his mouth. I felt my jeans tighten significantly.

Carl seemed to have noticed my obvious boner. He grabbed it. “Glad to see we’re on the same page.” He whispered.

“Let’s do it, right now then.” I moaned as Carl squeezed my boner.

“Just wait. We’ll be back at the prison soon. As soon as we can sneak off, we will do it.” Carl promised.

“Ugh.” I groaned.

When we arrived back at the prison, I pulled my shirt over my crotch to hide my boner that _refused_ to go down. Rick greeted us at the gate.

“Carl, what the hell were you thinking?” Rick scolded.

“He went out after me. It’s my fault.” I defended Carl.

“What happened that made you leave?” Rick questioned.

“It’s… complicated, Dad. We’re back now and we’re tired.” Carl replied impatiently.

“Fine, go. Don’t leave again without telling me, Carl. I mean it.” Rick warned.

“Fine, whatever.” Carl replied.

We walked up the hill and into the prison. We entered C Block and headed into our cell. I was so glad that no one else in the group asked anything about our whereabouts.

Carl pinned me against the wall and kissed me, hard. He pressed his crotch against mine, and I felt his very hard dick rubbing against mine. I moaned into his mouth. Carl broke the kiss.

“Are we gonna do it now?” I asked, my throbbing erection begging for attention.

“No, not here. I just really needed to kiss you.” Carl replied.

“Just fuck me, Carl. I need you and I need you now.” I whispered in his ear, palming his erection through his jeans.

“We need to find somewhere more secluded.” Carl told me.

“Well you know this place better than I do, so where is that?” I asked impatiently.

“The old solitary cells. The doors are so thick its practically soundproof, and no one ever goes down there anyways.” Carl replied.

“Great, let’s go!” I begged.

Carl and I rushed out of our cell and down into the tombs. We ran into the first cell we found.

“Finally.” I breathed.

“One sec.” Carl said. He ran out.

He came back a few minutes later with a bottle. I wasn’t quite sure what it was. “We’re gonna need this.” He said.

“Shut up and have sex with me.” I breathed, pinning him against the wall and kissing him, hard. Carl turned us around, so I was against the wall. He pushed his tongue in my mouth. Our tongues explored every inch of each other’s mouths. I reached down and palmed Carl’s erection through his jeans, making him moan into my mouth.

I broke the kiss and pulled my shirt over my head. Carl pulled his shirt off. I reached over and undid Carl’s belt and his jeans. Carl pulled them off and undid my jeans. I pulled them off.

We collapsed onto the bed. Carl rolled on top of me and pushed his hips into mine, making us both moan.

I reached down and pulled Carl’s boxers off. His six inch, circumcised erection popped out. He had a small patch of pubes at the base, and two testicles hung down.

He pulled off my boxers, releasing my circumcised, six inch boner. Carl stared hungrily at it.

“It’s all yours.” I breathed.

Carl wrapped his hand around my erection and started slowly pumping it. Pure pleasure overtook my body.

“Ungh, yeah, Carl. Oh god, go faster!” I moaned.

Carl increased his hand speed, making me moan louder. I looked at him to see him pumping away at his own shaft, moaning along with me.

I felt the orgasm building and building. “Carl, I’m gonna cum!” I moaned.

Carl took his hand off of my dick. “Not yet. Soon.” He said.

“Lie down. I’m gonna suck your dick.” I commanded. Carl lied flat on the bed, his erection sticking up. I took it in my hand and gave it a few soft strokes before licking the underside. Carl moaned.

I took his entire erection in my mouth, going all the way down and then back up before bobbing my head slowly.

“Ungh, Jason. Holy shit.” Carl moaned, gripping the sheets.

I looked up at him to see his eyes closed, his head tilted back, and his mouth open as he moaned out loud. I sucked harder and began playing with his testicles, which made him moan louder.

“Jason, oohh, yes, just like that. Oh god.” He moaned.

I sucked faster until I felt his shaft expand in my mouth. Carl’s moans got louder and more frequent. “Jason, holy shit, I’m gonna cum!” Carl moaned.

I took him out of my mouth. “Not until you fuck my brains out.” I said.

“Lie down.” Carl commanded.

I lied down on my back. Carl grabbed the bottle and squirted some of its contents on his hard penis. He rubbed it across his length. He got in between my legs and placed one of them on his shoulder. He positioned his tip at my entrance.

“This might hurt. Are you ready?” Carl asked.

“I’m so ready.” I replied.

Carl slowly inserted himself into my virgin hole. I winced in pain.

“I’m sorry.” Carl apologized.

“Don’t stop, keep going.” I ordered.

Carl kept pushing himself in until his lap rested against my ass cheeks. He gave me a couple minutes to adjust.

“You can move.” I said.

Carl slowly pulled halfway out, then pushed himself back in. He started thrusting at a rhythm, and pleasure overtook my entire body.

“Oh, yes, Carl! Oh yes, fuck me!” I moaned loudly.

Carl was moaning just as loudly as I was. He thrusted harder into me. The sound of his lap clapping against my ass echoed off the walls.

“Ungh, ungh, oh, yes! Harder!” I moaned out.

Carl started thrusting even harder, making us both moan out. Carl wrapped his hand around my shaft and started jacking me off, his hand a blur on my shaft.

I felt the orgasm building again. “Yes! Carl, I’m gonna cum!” I moaned.

My moans got louder and more frequent as I shot a huge load on Carl’s chest and my stomach.

Carl’s thrusts got sloppy and his moans got louder. “I’m gonna cum!” He moaned.

“Cum on me!” I moaned.

Carl pulled out of me and started masturbating, pointing his tip at me. He moaned loudly as he shot his seed across my abdomen and even onto my face. A few strands splashed into my mouth. His cum was soooo sweet, I could drink it all day.

Carl collapsed next to me and wrapped his arms around me, or erections softening and our bodies tingling from the pleasure of it all.

“That was so hot.” Carl breathed.

“It so was. We have to do that again.” I agreed.

Carl kissed me. “And again.”

He kissed me again. “And again.”

He kissed me again. “And again.”

I giggled. “Exactly.” I agreed.

“You amaze me, Jason, ya know that?” Carl commented.

I looked at him, his blue eyes filled with affection. “Really?”

“Yeah. Everything about you.” He said.

I kissed him. “You amaze me too.”

I laid back on the bed and closed my eyes. I was exhausted after all that. It wasn’t long before I drifted off to sleep, content with my life, my boyfriend, my group, my camp, everything seemed to be perfect, and I truly hoped it would stay perfect.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> GOOODDDD DDDAAAMMMNNNN that was spicy!!! And there's a lot more where that came from! You put two gay teenage boys together in a post-apocalyptic world, they're gonna do it like jack rabbits on crack! So yeah, look forward to more hot hot sex between our hot hot couple! Look out for Chapter 6, its coming soon! Stay Constitutional! Love y'all!


	6. What Doesn't Kill You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Jason and Carl survive a catastrophe of epic proportions.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aloha bitches! Again, I have been late in posting a chapter, and for that, you have my deepest apologies. However, I've got an explanation! It is my Spring Break, so I am in Hawaii for like the millionth time visiting my grandparents. There was a time a great many years ago when I lived here... That's not the point though! The point is: enjoy Chapter 6! While this book has generally followed TWD's storyline, this is where it really takes its own path. So yeah, enjoy!

I woke up the next morning. Carl was still lying next to me, sleeping. I smiled and let out a happy sigh. I was still in Carl’s arms, I could feel his breath on top of my head, and I could hear his heart beating in his chest. I kissed his cheek and his beautiful blue eyes fluttered open. He smiled as soon as he saw me.

“Good morning.” He said, kissing me lightly.

“Good morning.” I replied.

“Remind me why we’re hiding us.” I said, lying back on the bed.

“Because you haven’t really established your place here. If we don’t hide us, my dad might think you’re using me to keep him from kicking you out. Plus, who knows how they’ll react. I don’t know if they’ll be okay with us. Ya know, because we’re both boys.” Carl explained.

“Fine. But how long do we have to keep us a secret. Because I don’t like it.” I pouted.

“Just for a few weeks.” Carl replied.

“You have to take every opportunity to get me alone, though.” I said.

“Oh, that’s a given.” Carl said, wrapping his arms around my neck and kissing me.

Before I could reply, I heard gunshots coming from somewhere inside the prison. Carl and I quickly threw our clothes back on. Carl drew his gun, and I my sword. We bolted out of the solitary cells and entered cell block C. With no one in there, we ran into cell block D, where people were fighting off a dozen or so walkers.

I ran forward to help a kid who was cornered by a walker. I swung my sword, slashing its head in two. I heard another one behind me. I spun around and stabbed it right between the eyes. A third was hobbling toward me, reaching for me. I cut off its hand and took a few steps back.

“Let’s go, bitch! You want a piece of this?” I yelled.

The walker reached out with its other hand. I cut that hand off too. I swung my sword and cut off its legs. I decided that enough was enough, so I cut its head in half. I looked around to see that the walkers had all been killed, I flicked the blood off my sword and sheathed it.

When I didn’t see Carl, my heartbeat increased three-hundredfold. Had he died? I couldn’t lose him, not then. He didn’t go out to the treehouse to get me back, he didn’t risk his life to get me back, to tell me that he likes me just to die the next day! No way that’s fair! No way that can happen!

I saw him walk out of a cell, look up at me, and smile. He was covered in blood, none of which seemed to be his. I let out a breath. He didn’t die. I smiled back at him. I ran down the stairs and went to hug him, but then remembered that we were being secretive, so I stopped. It really, REALLY hurt to stop. I wanted to feel my arms around him, and his around me. After thinking he was dead, I wanted to feel his breath on my shoulder and his body heat warming my body, but I couldn’t.

“You didn’t die.” I whispered.

“No, I didn’t. Did you think I did?” Carl whispered, sounding concerned.

“I was afraid you did because I couldn’t find you. There were a lot of them in such a small space, I wouldn’t have been surprised if one of them had gotten to you. One almost got me.” I whispered.

“C’mon.” Carl whispered.

He led me outside and down to the crop fields. As soon as we were out of sight, Carl took my hand.

“What the hell was that?” I asked.

“I don’t know. But all those walkers were all our people. One of them, he was my friend.” Carl said sadly.

“Oh god, Carl. I’m so sorry.” I said, stopping and facing him.

He averted my gaze, looking sadly at the ground. I could tell that losing this friend really took a number on him. I leaned forward and kissed him softly. He looked up at me and smiled weakly. I leaned over and kissed him again.

“Do you want to talk about it?” I asked softly.

Carl shook his head. “There’s not much to talk about. He was a friend, sort of and he died. I have you, Jason. That’s what makes it okay.”

I smiled and kissed him again. “I’m glad I can help.”

We stayed out there for a great number of hours. It was close to sunset by the time we headed up. When we got back to our cell block, we collapsed onto the bottom bunk.

“You should probably get up to the top.” Carl said, kissing me lightly.

“But I want to sleep on the same bed as my boyfriend.”

“Fine. I’ll allow it. But only because there’s a cover on the door.” Carl replied.

Carl took me in his arms and kissed my forehead. He ran his fingers through my blonde hair. He knew that I loved it when he did that.

“Carl, Jason!” We heard Rick call.

I quickly sat up before Rick walked in. 

“There is a virus going around. That’s what killed Patrick. We need to get you two and the other kids away from here. You’re all going to the admin wing. You’ll be safe there.” Rick explained.

“But we can help.” I argued.

“No. We can’t risk you getting sick.” Rick replied.

“What’s the difference between you getting sick and us getting sick?” Carl challenged.

“Don’t argue with me. Get to the admin wing, now.” Rick demanded.

Carl rolled his eyes and got up. I followed him out of the cell. When we got to the admin wing, we found an abandoned office and shut ourselves inside. Carl kissed me as soon as the door closed.

“That was unexpected.” I commented.

“Why?” Carl questioned.

“Well, you seemed pretty pissed off a second ago.” I replied.

“Ugh. I am. I don’t understand why he has to baby me, baby us. We are just as able to help out there as he is and yet he still shuts us off in here with the kids.” Carl fumed.

“I know what you mean. He seems to forget that I survived on my own for four years.” I agreed.

“I’ve had enough.” Carl said.

“What?” I questioned.

Carl moved over to the window and looked outside. He sighed. “I’m done. Let’s leave. We talked about it before. Well, now I’m serious. Let’s get out of here. Please, Jason. Do it for me?”

“Okay. Let’s go.” I agreed.

Carl smiled, ran forward, and kissed me. “Thank you! Let’s go right now.” Carl said.

“Oh, umm. Okay.”

“We can go through the hole in the wall. It’s here in the admin wing.” Carl said excitedly.

He led me from the office, down the hall, and toward a gaping hole in the wall. We ran down a pile of rubble. As soon as we were outside, we ran off into the woods, toward our new life together, where we don’t have to hide our relationship and we can have hot, hot sex whenever we want! How awesome does that sound? This was the start of the real story of Jason and Carl, the teenage lovers who braved the land of the loveless together. This was the beginning.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ohp! They left. But, it was a long time coming. Now, though, the question is: where will they go? What will they do? Aaaannndddd they can have hot, hot sex whenever they want! You can bet there will be a lot of that! Keep an eye out for Chapter 7! Stay Constitutional! Love y'all!


	7. It's Not Over

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Jason fights for Carl, and for his life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bonjour, bitches! I'm back again for Chapter 7!! I know I posted yesterday, but I feel like y'all deserve a new chapter because I made y'all wait so long for Chapter 6. I realize that Chapter 6 might have been a bit boring, so I hope this one is better. So, enjoy!

We ran through the woods, heading nowhere in particular. We had just run away to live on our own in a world against us. We stopped, both of us were out of breath. Carl looked at me with the biggest smile on his face. I could tell that he was genuinely happy. He didn’t smile at me like that back at the prison.

“What?” I asked with a chuckle.

“You.” He replied, the biggest smile still spread across his face.

“What about me?” I asked.

“I… I dunno. It’s just… you.” He walked forward, wrapped his arms around my waist, and kissed me, lifting me up and spinning me around.

“Well someone’s happy,” I commented.

“I am, I really am. We just left. We are actually doing this, surviving on our own.” Carl beamed.

“We are. Where are we going?” I asked.

“We could go back to the treehouse to figure out where we want to go. I want to go to New York, or maybe Oregon!” Carl suggested excitedly.

“Those are two very different places but okay.” I giggled.

We kept going, heading in the direction of the treehouse. We had run in the opposite direction of the treehouse, so it would be a long and potentially dangerous walk. I had never been in this area before, so I didn’t know what was there, whether there was a herd, or a bunch of rattlesnakes, or an ax-wielding psychopath, there was no telling what we could run into.

“Carl! Jason!” I heard Rick call from far behind us.

“Dammit. He shouldn’t have found out that we were missing this quickly.” Carl said, picking up his pace.

“He’s not going to find us. He’s way too far behind us.” I reassured him.

Carl looked behind us and slowed down. I heard Rick call out for us a few more times, but his voice sounded more and more distant each time, which suggested that he wasn’t moving, he was just standing there, calling out our names. He must be sooooo dedicated to finding us. That was a sarcastic comment, by the way.

It wasn’t long before Rick’s voice faded to nonexistence, whether he just gave up on finding us or we were too far to hear him, I don’t know.

“Does he know where the treehouse is?” I asked.

“No, I never told him about it. Michonne knows it exists but she doesn’t know where it is.”

“Could she find it?” I asked.

“I think she could, possibly,” Carl replied.

“We can’t stay for too long, then,” I said.

As we continued in the direction of the treehouse, Carl stopped in his tracks. He looked back behind us and looked at me. He started dragging his feet across his footprints. I looked at him, questioning what the hell he was doing.

“Daryl can track us,” Carl explained.

“We’ll be gone by the time he would find the treehouse. He can’t track us on pavement.” I assured him.

Carl nodded. He slid his fingers between mine and held my hand as we kept walking. It felt really good to not have to hide our relationship anymore. It was really hard not to hold his hand and kiss him whenever I wanted. Hiding a relationship as strong as ours was difficult. I looked over at him, his bright blue eyes, his long brown hair, and I realized how perfect my boyfriend was, and how lucky I was to have him all to myself. I leaned over and kissed his cheek. He looked over at me and smiled brightly before kissing me softly. I smiled brightly at him.

About thirty minutes later, we arrived at the treehouse. We climbed inside. I looked around and saw that someone else had made a camp there, in MY treehouse. I unsheathed my sword. Carl pulled his pistol.

“Someone’s been here.” He said.

“Yep. But this is my treehouse. I lived here for two years. Like hell, I’m gonna let someone take it from me. I’ll die before I let that happen.” I growled.

“You know we won’t be here forever. We can’t stop people from living here after we leave.” Carl commented.

“Of course not. But I’ll be damned if someone is gonna keep me from living here if I so choose.” I replied.

I picked up a duffel bag that belonged to the people who invaded my home and tossed it out the window. Carl picked up a backpack that belonged to them and tossed it out the window. It was sooooo satisfying watching their bags hit the ground. The backpack even split open, which felt even better. Carl threw the last bag onto the ground beneath us.

“That’ll teach them to set up camp in _my_ treehouse,” I muttered.

Carl chuckled. “There was no way to know it was your treehouse, Jason.”

“My shit was up here, which is still mostly all here, thank god. But I’m gonna put my sword through their chests when they get back.” I growled.

“You need a gun, Jason,” Carl told me.

“No, I don’t. I’ve gone four years without shooting off a gun once. I think I’m fine.” I argued.

“No, you’re not fine. I’m telling you, you need one.” Carl replied.

I don’t understand why he didn’t see that I didn’t need a gun to get by. I felt myself getting angrier and angrier the more he pressed. Why did he care so much anyways? Probably because he didn’t want to see his boyfriend get killed, but still. I wished he would just leave it alone.

“No, I don’t, Carl!” I snapped, “why do I need one now if I haven’t needed one in FOUR years?!”

“Because! You’ve been around here the whole time. What’s to say there isn’t something out there that requires you to have a gun?! You can’t rely on a sword for everything! People have guns, herds are way too large for you to fight through with a sword!” Carl yelled.

“Oh my god, are you serious?! Do you think I’ve been here all four years?! No! I came here from Alaska! I traveled from Anchorage, Alaska to here with just my sword! I’ve scaled the entire country and part of Canada and never had any need for anything other than my sword! I will NEVER use a gun do you understand me?! Because I’m not saying it again, so let’s take a moment and let it sink in!” I yelled back.  

“You… traveled here from Alaska.” Carl whispered.

“Yeah, yeah I did,” I replied angrily.

“You know what you’re doing.” He whispered.

“Yeah, you’re just now catching on?” I snapped.

“Jason, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to suggest you don’t know what you’re doing. I didn’t know you traveled here from Alaska.” Carl apologized, regret in his beautiful blue eyes.

I sighed and wrapped my arms around him and kissed him lightly before pressing my forehead to his. “It’s okay. I know you were just looking out for me.” I whispered.

“I was. I’m sorry.” Carl whispered.

I kissed him again. “It’s okay,” I whispered.

“Hey, why the hell is all our stuff on the ground?” I heard a deep voice demand from below us.

I peeked out the window, sword in hand, to see three large men standing there, looking infuriated.

“Because you decided to put it in my treehouse, dipshit,” I called down.

The men looked up and drew their guns, pointing them up at us. Carl had his pistol aimed down at them.

“Excuse me? This ain’t your treehouse, boy. Now I suggest you get the hell down from there. I’d hate to have to kill a couple kids, and to get blood all over _my_ treehouse.” The large man warned.

He looked to be about three-hundred pounds with long red hair and a long red beard, the typical redneck. The other two looked a lot like him. I guessed they were brothers.

“The fuck did you just say to me?!” I demanded.

“You heard me, _boy_.” The large man taunted.

I looked at Carl, who looked just as angry as me. “This is why I don’t need a gun,” I said.

I reached into a case on my belt and pulled out a throwing knife. I threw it down and watched it lodge in the large man’s skull. The sound of his fat ass thudding against the ground was probably the most satisfying sound I had ever heard.

The other two men immediately started shooting up at us. Carl and I ducked back into the treehouse and sat against the wall. They didn’t seem to be very good shots, because most of the bullets just zipped by, missing the treehouse all together.

“What do we do now?” I asked.

“They’re gonna run out of bullets eventually,” Carl replied.

“Either that or the walkers will be here soon enough,” I added.

“So we just wait them out,” Carl said.

I felt a horrible pain in my abdomen. It was worse than any pain I’ve ever felt. I screamed out in pain.

“Jason! No!” Carl screamed.

I was struggling to breathe. It felt like a million bricks were piled on top of my chest. I wanted to give in. It was too hard to keep fighting.

“Carl,” I whispered.

“Jason, you’re gonna be okay, you hear me? You’re gonna be just fine. Just stay with me.” Carl pleaded, his tears dripping down onto my face.

“Carl. You’re gonna be okay.” I whispered, reaching up and caressing his cheek. It took most of my energy.

“No, Jason, please. You can’t come into my life and just die. I’ve lost too many people, I can’t lose you too. You can’t make me love you and just leave.” Carl cried.

I smiled weakly. I could feel the pain subsiding, and my body going cold. “Y-you… love me?” I whispered.

“Yes, Jason, I love you! You have to hang on, you have to hang on for me. Please.” Carl begged, pressing his forehead against mine.

“I love you… too… Don’t… don’t let me… turn.” I whispered.

“No, Jason! You’re not going to die! Please, just hang on!” Carl begged, running his fingers through my hair.

“I… love you… Goodbye… Carl.” I whispered.

My vision went dark, the pain was gone, but I was cold. I saw my mother standing a few hundred feet in front of me, her light brightening my pitch black surroundings.

“Jason, baby, it’s time to be with me.” I heard her call.

I walked forward to greet her. She stood, smiling at me, her arms stretched out to embrace me. But something stopped me. I heard Carl’s voice, echoing out, calling to me, telling me that he loved me, and he needed me. I couldn’t leave him. That left me with a tough choice. An eternity with my mother, or a life with my boyfriend. Carl loved me, I couldn’t just leave him behind. My heart told me to stay. I couldn’t scar that beautiful boy any more than he already was. I didn’t want to be the reason someone so beautiful, so kind and caring and protective, turned into anything less.

“Mom… I can’t leave Carl behind. He needs me.” I said.

Mom’s smile didn’t falter, she simply lowered her arms. “If you’re sure, baby. I will follow what you want.” She said.

“But I don’t want to leave you either.” I choked, tears welling in my eyes.

“I will be here when you’re ready. You have an eternity with me, whenever you’re ready. I love you, Jason.” Mom said.

“I love you too, Mom, so, so much,” I said.

“Go, be with Carl. I will always be with you, in your heart. I love you so much.” Mom said.

“Goodbye, Mom,” I said.

I turned and walked away from her. As I walked, I felt my body warm, my pain came back, but my world remained dark. I was going to have to fight like hell to make it back to my Carl, my sweet, beautiful Carl, but that was a fight I was ready to fight, and you can be damn sure I was going to give it my all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That. Just. Happened. Believe me, it hurt me just as much to write it as it hurt you to read it. However, I feel like it's something that had to happen to strengthen their relationship, and it made Carl admit that he loves Jason, which, let's be real, would not have happened for a long time otherwise. The next couple of chapters will be from Carl's point of view while Jason recovers. Also, yes, I did have to put my hometown of Anchorage in there, and it might show up later too! So yeah, keep an eye out for Chapter 8! Stay Constitutional! Love y'all!


	8. It's All For Him

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Carl does his best to help Jason's recovery.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bonjour, bitches! Welcome to Chapter Eight! I know it's been a hot minute, I think. I don't actually remember when the last time I posted a chapter was. But I've been working on a new work. This one is on Wattpad and it's completely of my creation. It's called "A Summer, An Eternity" y'all should definitely check it out. So now I'm juggling two books on top of everything else. I'm stretching myself a bit thin. But anyways, here's Chapter Eight. Enjoy!

## Carl’s POV

The two men had run out of ammo. The walkers got them, which is exactly what they deserved. They almost too Jason from me. They got exactly what they deserved.

I knelt over Jason, pressing his bullet wound to try to stop the bleeding. I had no idea how to remove it, or if I should remove it. If I did, it could cause more harm, and if I didn’t it could cause more harm. I almost regretted leaving. If we hadn’t left, this wouldn’t have happened. And if it did, Hershel would be there, and he would know what to do. There was no way I could carry him back to the prison. We would both be killed. All I could do was stop the bleeding and bring Hershel to the treehouse.

I took a t-shirt and wrapped it tightly around the bullet hole. It was all I knew how to do. I moved him up into his hammock. I climbed down the ladder and sprinted off into the woods, toward the prison.

I needed to find some way to get to Hershel without Dad or anyone else seeing me. They would try to get me to come back and that definitely was not an option. Jason needed me and I needed Hershel.

As soon as I got to the prison, I went right back to where we left from, the hole in the admin side of the prison. Before I could go in, I found Hershel examining a bush and picking some of the fruits. I sighed in relief. That made this a lot easier.

“Hershel!” I called.

Hershel turned around and widened his eyes when he saw me. “Carl? Where have you been? Your father has been worried sick.” Hershel lectured.

“Yeah, I don’t give a damn about my father right now. It’s Jason. I need your help. He’s been shot and I don’t know what to do.” I said.

“Umm, okay. Give me a minute. I’ll be right back. We will get Jason back here.” Hershel said.

“No, we won’t. I need you to come with me. You can go get whatever you need but if there is any indication that you told anyone that I was here, and I’ll be gone when you get back.” I warned.

“Fine. Just give me a minute.” Hershel said.

He went back inside and came back out about ten minutes later with a bunch of medical supplies and a gun. We headed toward the treehouse, but we had to go significantly slower because Hershel couldn’t move as fast as I could. As soon as we got back, I checked Jason’s pulse. He still had one. I let out a breath of relief.

“Get him on the floor,” Hershel ordered.

I lifted Jason off of his hammock and placed him on the ground. Hershel checked his pulse and removed Jason’s shirt and the t-shirt that I tied around his wound. For the most part, it had stopped bleeding. Hershel took a bottle of hand sanitizer and cleaned his hands before pouring the majority of the bottle over Jason’s bullet hole. Hershel took a pair of tweezers from the bag of medical supplies and prodded around the wound.

“The bullet doesn’t appear to be in dangerous territory. I will remove it and put a pressure dressing on the wound. I can’t give him a transfusion so he’s going to be either asleep or very groggy and disoriented while he makes new blood.” Hershel explained.

I sat down by Jason’s head and cradled his head in my lap, running my fingers through his hair. I didn’t know whether he could feel anything or not, but I knew he must be scared out of his mind. He must be so terrified, and he must feel so alone. I just wanted him to know that I was there for him, that he wasn’t alone.

Hershel pulled out the bullet, but before he could place a pressure dressing, blood started pouring out of his bullet hole.

“What the hell happened?” I demanded.

“It’s okay. It’ll stop on its own.” Hershel reassured me.

Sure enough, the bullet stopped bleeding after a couple minutes. Hershel stitched the wound closed and placed a pressure dressing. I pressed my fingers to the side of Jason’s neck. He still had a pulse and his chest was still rising and falling. He was still alive. I let out a breath of relief.

“He’s going to be fine. Just keep the wound clean and replace the dressing every week or so. He shouldn’t leave the treehouse for at least a couple weeks. His body needs time to heal and he can’t do that outside this treehouse.” Hershel advised.

“Thank you, Hershel. You saved his life.” I said.

“You should come back, son. At least to tell your father that you’re okay.” Hershel said.

“No. If he knows I’m alive he will come looking for me for sure. I’m not going back. Please don’t tell anyone you saw me.” I replied.

Hershel looked upset but nodded. “Okay. I won’t say anything. You take care of yourself, Carl. Take care of Jason too. He’s all you have left.” He said.

“I will,” I promised.

With that, Hershel left the treehouse and headed back to the prison. I knew I didn’t have to accompany him back to the prison. Not only does it make it more likely for Dad to see me, but it puts Jason at risk. I couldn’t leave him.

I looked down to Jason, who was still asleep with his head in my lap. I smiled and ran my fingers through his hair. “You didn’t give up on me. You didn’t leave me. I love you, Jason.” I whispered, bending down and kissing him softly.

I picked him up and set him back in his hammock. I needed to check what supplies we had, how long I could stay up there with Jason before I had to go on a run. We had a substantial amount of supplies. Jason had gathered a huge stash of medical equipment before he met me, as well as a huge food and water stash. I guessed that I wouldn’t have to go out for a couple weeks, which is all Hershel said Jason needed before he could leave too.

I looked over to the hammock to see Jason stirring. He opened his perfect blue eyes. “Carl?” He called weakly.

“Hey, Jason. I’m right here.” I said, rushing over to him and taking his hand.

He smiled as soon as he saw me. “I didn’t give up. I didn’t leave you because I love you.” He said weakly.

“I know. I love you too.” I said, tears brimming in my eyes.

Jason gave my hand a light squeeze before he fell back asleep. He woke up. He didn’t give up he didn’t leave me. He stayed for me. I was so afraid that I was going to lose Jason, the boy who showed me that this world isn’t as shitty as I once thought. I felt a tear slip down my cheek as I bent down to kiss Jason’s forehead. He was going to be okay. _We_ were going to be okay.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> At least Jason is doing alright. He gave us a scare for a moment there! But love is a powerful force, not to be reckoned with. However, Jason's got a long road ahead of him. Will he be able to properly recover? What complications will arise? I guess you'll just have to keep reading. Keep an eye out for Chapter Nine! Stay Constitutional! Love y'all!


	9. New Additions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Jason leaves the treehouse for the first time since the accident, and new people make their way into his life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bonjour, bitches! Welcome to Chapter Nine! I know it's been a hot minute since I've posted a chapter, but that's because I've been studying for AP exams, my first one is tomorrow. Since my AP Gov teacher told us not to study the day before the test, I figured I'd get another chapter posted. Also, if you haven't yet, please check out "A Summer, An Eternity", my story on Wattpad. I promise you won't regret it! So yeah, without further ado, here in Chapter Nine! Enjoy!

## Jason’s POV

I opened my eyes. I had no idea what had happened to me, only that I was in a lot of pain. I tried to remember but nothing came up.

“Carl?” I called out weakly.

 “Jason, I’m here.” I heard Carl say.

I smiled when I heard his voice. I missed the sound of it. I looked to my left to see him sitting by my hammock, his hand in mine. I smiled when I saw him. I missed looking at his face, his sweet, sexy face.

“My stomach… really hurts. What happened?” I asked.

“You got shot, Jason. It’s okay, you’re fine now. I got the bullet out and everything is okay. You just need to heal.” Carl replied.

I nodded and tried to swallow, but my throat was too dry. I needed water or else I would die in a matter of hours.

“Can I… have some… water?” I asked.

Carl nodded and retrieved a water bottle from the table next to my hammock. I sat up enough to drink from the bottle, but even that slight movement hurt like hell. I knew that it would be weeks before I was up, and probably even longer before I could leave the treehouse.

I tried to lean up more to kiss him, but with little success. There was a point where it hurt too much to sit up any more. Carl cradled my head and slowly pushed me back onto the hammock. He stroked my hair and planted a soft kiss on my lips.

“I love you, Jason Parker. Don’t you ever forget that.” He whispered.

“I love you too… Carl.” I whispered. At that, I passed out again.

~~ Major Time Jump ~~

I swung my legs off of the hammock and stood up; I felt no pain. I walked a few steps over to the window and looked outside. The sounds of birds chirping, squirrels playing, and the breeze blowing greeted me. It was the faint sounds of walker snarls in the distance served as the only reminder that the world had ended. It was almost peaceful out there.

“Hey, you’re up!” Carl exclaimed, walking up to my side and wrapping an arm around me.

“Yeah. It doesn’t hurt anymore. I’d like to try to go out today.” I replied.

“No. I don’t think you’re ready yet. You’re only just now able to get out of bed. What happens if you go out there and we have to run. Your wound could reopen, and you’d die.” Carl replied.

“I don’t think so. Look, my wound has closed completely.” I said, lifting my shirt and showing him the scar. It had healed completely.

“But what if it’s not healed enough.” Carl argued.

“Feel it,” I said. Carl pressed his fingers against the scar. “You see how the skin underneath is thick, rather than thin? That means that it’s completely healed. Any pain is residual from superficial organ damage. I’ve completely healed.” I said.

“I dunno, Jason. I almost lost you once. I can’t risk losing you again.” Carl said. I could see the worry in his eyes and hear it in his voice.

I wrapped my arms around his waist and kissed him. I rested my chin on his shoulder. “I know you’re scared, Carl. I’m scared too. But if I spend too much time up here, I’ll forget how to survive down there.” I said.

My boyfriend sighed. “Okay. Let’s go out.” He said.

I walked over to the corner by the hammock, grabbed my sword, and clipped it to my belt. I walked over to the door and descended the ladder. Carl was close to follow.

“We are taking this slow, Jason. If you feel any pain, we are stopping and coming back.” Carl said.

“Relax, Carl. I’m gonna be fine.” I reassured him. We walked onto the street and headed south.

“I was thinking… Well, it was more a dream I had while I was out. What if we got a bunch of people, fortified this neighborhood, and started a community? We could slowly continue building out, reestablish human society.

Carl smiled. “We could do it. I think it’s worth a try.” He said.

“So now we’re looking for people.” I said.

“We’re out here looking for people.” Carl agreed.

We kept walking, looking for not only people, but also any supplies. We discussed establishing borders, where to set up fortifications and what we would use as borders.  We decided we would use reinforced steel fencing with sharpened wooden spikes. The spikes would point outward to impale walkers before they could reach the fencing. We would put the fences at the intersections, about a mile apart, and we would enclose the houses for about three blocks within the borders.

We traced the area that we would enclose, checking the houses for supplies that we would need. We found some clothes that would fit us both as well as a bunch of canned food, a couple handguns, and a bunch of ammo. As we walked back, we heard a scream and a cry from a little boy.

“This way, c’mon, Carl!” I said, running over toward where the scream came from.

We found a woman and a little boy cornered against a fence by at least twenty walkers. The woman was holding the little boy close. I drew my sword and started swinging, downing walkers left and right. Soon enough, they turned around and started going after me. Carl drew his gun and started emptying his clip into the walkers’ skulls. A walker lunged at me, I dodged and stabbed it in the back of the skull. It fell.

“Jason, behind you!” Carl yelled.

I ducked down as a walker tried to grab me from behind. I cut off its legs and drove my sword between its eyes. Carl shot down the last walker. I flicked the blood off my blade and sheathed it.  

“Are you okay?” I asked the woman, helping her up.

“Yes, oh my god, thank you so much. We left the house this morning to get some supplies and Connor here saw a roamer and screamed. Next thing we know there are a whole bunch of them and then you were here.” The woman explained frantically.

“It’s okay. You’re safe now.” I said.

The woman was beautiful. She had black hair and green eyes. She was skinny and about five foot eight. The little boy, Connor, also had black hair and green eyes. Freckles dotted an almost straight line across his nose and underneath his eyes.

I knelt down so I was eye level with Connor. I smiled at him. “Hey, bud. You’re safe now. I promise you’re gonna be fine.” I said.

Connor let go of his mother and ran toward me, hugging me tightly. “Thank you.” He whispered.

The woman chuckled. “He likes you. My name is Camille Morris.” She said.

“I’m Jason Parker. This is my boyfriend, Carl Grimes.” I said.

Connor released me and looked at me, smiling. “Can we live with you? You saved us.” He said.

“Oh… umm… Yeah, what do you think, Carl?” I asked, looking back at him with a smile.

Carl stepped forward and looked at Camille. “How many walkers have you killed?” He asked.

He was using the same questions that Rick used before he let me into the group.

“Umm… A lot. I don’t know exactly.” Camille replied.

“How many people have you killed?” I asked.

“None.” Camille replied.

“Why?” Carl asked.

“Because it’s wrong. Now that doesn’t mean that if someone were to threaten my little boy that I wouldn’t kill someone. But killing is wrong.” Camille replied.

I looked at Connor, who was still beaming at me. “Yes, you can live with us.” I said, smiling at him.

Connor looked back at his mother with a huge smile on his face. “Hear that, Mom? We can live with them!” He said excitedly.

“Yeah, c’mon. Let’s go back home to get our things.” Camille said.

Carl and I followed Camille and Connor back to their house. I held Carl’s hand as we walked. I was surprised to feel Connor’s small fingers sliding between mine. He took my hand and swung our arms back and forth, bouncing happily along the road. I chuckled.

“How old is he?” I asked Camille.

“Connor just turned seven. His birthday was last week.” Camille replied happily.

“Happy late birthday, bud.” I said, smiling down at him.

“Thanks.” Connor beamed.

“He really likes you, Jason. Connor never gets along with anyone this well. He’s usually really shy.” Camille said.

We reached Camille’s house. She ran inside and grabbed all of their things. She tried to convince Connor to help her, but he insisted on staying out here to protect me because I saved his life. Carl tried to talk to him, but Connor clammed up. He only opened up when I talked to him.

As soon as Camille emerged from the house, we headed back to the treehouse, though we figured we would have to move into the house because the treehouse wasn’t big enough for two people.

We had begun in our effort to build a community. We found a loving mother and an adorable little boy to start. I looked to the future in excitement, when only a few weeks earlier I didn’t really have a future to look to. This was the beginning of the reestablishment of human civilization. This was the beginning of the end of the apocalypse. That was my hope, anyways.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow! So they've begun building their community! I wanted to include a child in the story, it'll be important later on. Hope you enjoyed Chapter Nine! Keep an eye out for Chapter Ten! Stay Constitutional! Love y'all!


	10. Plans

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Jason, Carl, and Camille set a course for a new home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bonjour, bitches! Welcome to Chapter Ten! Wow, ten chapters, that's pretty cool! I know I've posted super recently, but the AP Chemistry exam is tomorrow and my AP Chem teacher said not to study the night before, so I've been writing. I also just posted Chapter Seven of "A Summer, An Eternity", so please go check that out in case you haven't yet! I'd appreciate it! Anyways, here is Chapter Ten! Enjoy!

We reached my treehouse and climbed inside. I was quite right. There definitely was not room for the four of us. Connor, however, was quite insistent that we spent the rest of our lives up there. I think he was more mesmerized by the fact that we were in a treehouse than the fact that it was safe.

After Camille explained to a quite disheartened Connor that we indeed could not spend the rest of our lives in a treehouse that probably couldn’t really hold all of us at once, we decided to check out the house that the treehouse was in the backyard of. In all my three years living in the treehouse, I never once went into the house.

“Connor, you stay behind me.” Camille warned, drawing her small revolver.

“But I wanna stay with Jason.” Connor complained.

I looked back and smiled. “It’s fine with me.” I said.

“Okay, but you stay behind him at all times, you hear me, Connor Morris?” Camille warned.

Connor smiled and nodded. He ran up and took his place behind me. I looked back and pressed my fingers to my lips to remind him to be quiet. Carl took the lead, drawing his gun. I drew my sword and Carl opened the door. Carl turned right into the kitchen, and I went left into the living room. Camille went to the dining room.

“Can I call it?” Connor whispered excitedly.

He wanted to be the one to yell ‘clear’. I chuckled and nodded.

“Clear!” Connor called.

“Clear!” Carl echoed.

“Clear!” Camille called.

Camille went to clear the upstairs rooms, leaving Connor with Carl and me downstairs. She didn’t want him up there in case there was something that wasn’t meant for a seven-year-old’s eyes.

The house was well kept. The living room had a bear skin rug in the center and three black leather couches on three sides of the rug. There was a large flat screen TV on a mahogany entertainment center. An entryway led from the living room into the entry room, and on the wall directly across from the entryway to the living room was an entryway to the kitchen. The walls were all painted white. In the foyer was also the stairs that led to the second floor. The stairs were carpeted. The foyer had hardwood floors, as did the living room and the kitchen. A glass dining room table sat on the other end of the living room.

Carl walked up beside me and snaked an arm around my waist, pulling me against him. I kissed his cheek.

 “Why didn’t you come here earlier?” Carl asked.

“I… I dunno… I guess I didn’t want to invade someone else’s home. Even though they aren’t here anymore, it’s still theirs. It didn’t feel right taking it. Ya know what I mean?” I replied.

“No. That made no sense whatsoever.” Carl replied with a laugh.

I nudged him. “Whatever. I wouldn’t expect you to understand.” I said.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Carl asked.

“Nothing, nothing.” I replied, containing a laugh.

“Bullshit!” Carl retorted, nudging me. He nudged me a little too hard and I fell back onto the black leather couch, letting out a scream as I fell.

“Hey! How dare you!” I joked, jumping up and running after Carl.

He moved to the side, causing me to fly past him. He turned around and tackled me, getting on top of me and pinning my arms above my head. Carl smiled down at me and I smiled back up at him. His blue eyes were shimmering with love and affection. He leaned down and planted a kiss on my lips. I smiled into the kiss.

“I love you, Jason.” Carl whispered as he broke the kiss.

I smiled brightly. “I love you too, Carl.” I said.

Carl kissed me again and rubbed his nose against mine. There wasn’t a moment in my life that was more perfect. Carl rolled off of me and lied on the floor next to me. He slid his fingers between mine and grasped my hand. I looked over at him and he kissed me again.

I felt Connor’s tiny fingers slide between mine and his tiny hand grip mine. I looked over at him to see him beaming at me.

“Hi.” He said.

“Hi, Connor.” I said, smiling at him.

Connor took my hand and started playing with my fingers. He seemed absolutely mesmerized by them. It seemed like anything could amuse that boy. I could give him a fork and he would be occupied for hours.

I looked back at Carl. He kissed my hand. Camille came downstairs and smiled when she saw Connor playing with my fingers. She sat on the couch and watched her son.

“Upstairs is clear. There are three bedrooms.” She said.

“Hey, Connor. How does having your own room sound?” I asked him.

Connor’s face lit up and he bolted up the stairs toward his new bedroom. That boy had so much energy.

“Okay. Down to business. We need to figure out how we are going to build up our community.” Carl said.

“A community?” Camille inquired.

“We want to start a community. Somewhere safe for everyone.” I informed her.

“That sounds like an excellent idea.” Camille said.

“The first thing I was thinking, do we want to stay here? In Georgia, I mean. We have so many opportunities. We can go anywhere we want, and I can think of a million better places than here.” I said.

“Isn’t it too dangerous to move? Any number of things could happen.” Camille objected.

“It’s just as dangerous to stay here.” I said.

“I’d like to go somewhere else. I’ve been in Georgia my entire life. I’d like to go beyond where I’ve been. Explore someplace new.” Carl agreed.

“Well where would we go? We all know this area. We don’t know anywhere else.” Camille argued.

“I travelled here from Alaska when this all first started. I was ten. I remember Seattle being wonderful. We could set up somewhere outside Seattle. There are tons of small towns around there in the mountains that should be easy to clear. Or if that doesn’t work, we can try our luck in Alaska.” I said.

“We should decide where we set up before we go. That way we can avoid any complication.” Camille said.

“We can plan it as we travel. Too many things can change before we get there. We shouldn’t set anything in stone.” Carl said, getting up and sitting on the couch next to the one that Camille sat on.

I took my place next to Carl. He wrapped an arm around my waist, and I scooted up right next to him.

“What preparations do we need to make?” Camille asked.

“We should get an RV, that’ll make cross-country travel safer and more comfortable. We also need to gather as much food, water, and gas as we possible can before we go. We don’t need to really plot a course we can just take the Interstate due Northwest and we will get there eventually. I say we take at least two weeks. Consolidate everything we can before we go.” Carl replied.

“There is an RV, a luxury one, at the house two houses down. There are a few stray cars here and there that we can siphon gas from. We can raid the houses nearby. In the three years I’ve been here, not many people have come around so the stuff should still mostly be there.” I said.

Camille started writing everything I said down. There were no words for how excited I was to finally leave Georgia.

“So, if Seattle isn’t doable, then we go to Alaska? That drive sounds dangerous.” Camille said.

“It’s not too bad. We just have to make absolute sure that we have plenty of fuel. But once we get up there, there is a lot of space and there was never a lot of people. So, there are plenty of places to start a community. We could even completely clear Anchorage in a matter of weeks. Once that’s done, we could harness the many different kinds of renewable energy to get electricity and water flowing again. Also, once Anchorage is clear, there will be basically no walkers left. If we run into one, we just kill it… It is highly improbable that we would ever run into a herd.” I explained.

“Sounds like we should just go to Alaska.” Carl said.

I thought for a minute. It would be much better to go to Alaska, but it would be harder. But not impossible. In fact, if we met a pilot along the way and got into the Seattle airport, we could even fly up there. That scenario seemed unlikely though.

“Yeah. I think we should.” I said.

“So we’re going to Alaska now?” Camille asked.

“Any objections?” I asked.

“No. There will be fish, energy, space. It seems like everything will be better.” Camille said.

“So, Alaska then.” I said excitedly.

Connor came running down the stairs. “Jason! Jason! Come see my room!” He said excitedly.

“In a second, Connor. We have something to tell you.” Camille said.

Connor plopped himself on my lap and leaned back against me. “What is it?” He asked.

“We are leaving, all of us. We are going to Alaska to start a community. We are leaving in a couple weeks.” Camille said.

“Really? Wow! Cool! This is gonna be awesome! Road trip!” Connor said excitedly.

“Yeah! Road trip!” I said, laughing.

“Can I help gather supplies?” Connor asked eagerly.

“You can help me siphon fuel from cars. If your mom says yes, that is.” I said.

“Can I mom?” Connor asked.

“Yes, you can.” Camille replied, chuckling.

“Yay!” Connor cheered.  

“Okay, let’s go see your room.” I said, getting up. I followed Connor up the stairs to his room.

I stopped and turned around. “We leave two weeks from today.” I said.

“Two weeks from today.” Camille agreed, nodding.

Carl nodded. “Two weeks from today and you’ll be going home.” He beamed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> YAAYYY PLANS!!! They're going to Alaska!!!! I've always wanted to write a TWD fanfiction that takes place in my great home state. It's the homesickness, I'm telling you. Every second I'm away from Alaska kills me. What better fanfiction to write in my home state than this one? Keep an eye out for Chapter Eleven! Stay Constitutional! Love y'all!


	11. Preparatons

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which the group makes the necessary preparations for their travels.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bonjour, bitches! Welcome to Chapter Eleven! I realize that it's been a HOT minute since I've posted a chapter, and you have my deepest apologies, but I'm moving to New York on June 22nd, so I've been busy with that, plus graduation is in like eleven days so I have finals so it's been too crazy, but I'm in Copenhagen, Denmark right now, really not doing anything so I've been writing. So yeah, here's Chapter Eleven! Enjoy!

I sat on the bed, looking at a map of Alaska. Memories of my childhood flooded my mind, causing my eyes to fill with tears. Memories of my mother carrying me on her shoulders as we hiked Thunderbird Falls, or my stepdad taking me dip-netting for the first time. I didn’t just want to go back because it was safer than everyone else. I hoped that somehow Mom was still alive, and I would find her. Maybe I would find the rest of my family.

Carl walked in. He sat on the bed next to me and wrapped an arm around me. I rested my head on his shoulder.

“Are you okay?” He asked softly.

“Yeah. I’m fine. Just old memories.” I replied.

Carl kissed the top of my head. “Maybe we’ll find your family.” He said.

“Maybe. I hope so.” I said. I didn’t expect to find them. I didn’t see a reason to hope.

“Let’s get some sleep. We have lot of preparing to do.” Carl said.

We leaned back on the bed and Carl pulled me close to him. He kissed me lightly. “I love you.” He said.

“I love you too.” I said, kissing him back.

When I broke the kiss, Carl pulled me back into him and reconnected our lips in a heated, passionate kiss. He rolled on top of me and deepened the kiss. He ran his fingers through my hair and slid his tongue in my mouth. Our tongues explored each other’s mouths. Carl broke the kiss and started sucking on my neck. I leaned my head back and let out a quiet moan. Carl reached down and palmed me through my jeans. I thrusted my hips up to meet his grip. Carl pulled my shirt over my head. I reached down and pulled off his shirt.

“Wait… The door is unlocked. Connor could walk in.” I stated as Carl continued to grope me.

Carl got up and locked the door. As he walked back, I noticed the lump in his jeans. I bit my lip. Carl crawled back on top of me and thrust his hips into mine. I reached down and unbuttoned his jeans. I quickly pulled them off. I wanted to get him naked as soon as possible. I had been craving his sexy, delicious penis since the last time I had it.

Carl unbuttoned my jeans and pulled them off. I pulled his boxers off, letting his erection spring free.

“Finally.” I breathed, gripping it at the base and stroking it softly. Carl moaned and started sucking on my neck.

He pulled my boxers off and wrapped his hand around my penis. He started stroking it fast, making me moan out loud. I flipped us over and kissed my way down his body until I felt his erection poking at my jawline. I took it in my hand and stroked it a few times and licked the tip.

“Stop teasing me, Jason, please.” Carl moaned.

I put his penis in my mouth, taking the whole thing in before going back up to the tip. I started bobbing my head slowly, spending extra time at the tip. Carl was moaning softly. I looked up to see his eyes closed and his head tilted back. I ran my palms up and down his smooth, flat abdomen and chest.

He tangled his fingers in my hair. I took his dick out of my mouth and started stroking it. I swung my hips around and straddled Carl’s head. He grabbed my ass and lowered my penis into his mouth. I started thrusting into his mouth as I put him back into my mouth. We moaned onto each other’s shafts as we pleasured each other. Carl played with my balls as he sucked me, making me only moan louder. If it wasn’t for Carl’s penis muffling my moans, we would’ve been heard for sure.

I felt Carl’s shaft expand in my mouth. He started moaning louder and he began thrusting his hips up to meet my head motions. He came in my mouth, Thick rope after thick rope filling my mouth. The taste of him was delicious beyond comparison. I swallowed all of it hungrily. It wasn’t long before I released in his mouth. I moaned loudly onto his shaft as I came. Carl swallowed every drop of it. I rolled off of him and lied down next to him.

“I needed that. I really did.” I breathed. Carl kissed me and pulled me close to him. I snuggled up close to him and fell asleep.

The next morning, I woke up to the sound of the door handle jiggling.

“Jason! C’mon, let me in!” Connor whined from behind the door.

Carl, who apparently was already awake, looked over at me and we both started laughing our asses off. It was a damn good thing I remembered to tell Carl to lock the door! How would I explain to a seven year old boy why we were naked in bed together? There was no way!

As soon as we were able to stop laughing, we got up and put our clothes on. I walked over to the door and unlocked it. Connor stood there, looking angrily at me, his green eyes flared with anger.

“I was supposed to wake you up by jumping on you!” He scolded.

“I’m sorry, Connor. I’ll make it up to you, I promise.” I said.

Connor rolled his eyes and bounded off down the stairs. I knew he wasn’t actually angry at me, that’s what made it absolutely adorable.

Carl and I followed Connor down the stairs. Camille was in the living room, sitting on one of the couches and studying a map. She smirked when she saw us.

“Have fun last night, boys?” She quipped.

My face drained of all color, as did Carl’s. It was mortifying that she heard us. I let out the breath I didn’t even know I was holding when she started laughing her ass off.

“Well, I was kidding, but judging by your reactions, you did indeed have fun last night. Thank you for being quiet about it… I do not need Connor asking me what those noises were coming from your room were.”  Camille laughed.

Connor walked into the room. “Did you say my name, Mom?” He asked.

“Yes, bud but I wasn’t calling you.” Camille replied.

Connor turned to me. He smiled and hugged me. “I forgive you for not letting me wake you up this morning.” He said.

“Well good. I dunno how I would have survived if you wouldn’t have forgiven me.” I said.

“I don’t either.” Connor said, burying his face in my abdomen.

“Aww. You’re so good with him, Jason. If you were older, I would think you had one of your own.” Camille said.

“I had three younger brothers. The oldest of them, Mark, was about Connor’s age when everything went to shit.” I explained.

Carl looked at me with confusion and a hint of pain in his eyes. I never told him about my brothers. I immediately cursed myself for not telling him beforehand. But, instead of getting angry with me and storming off, he wrapped an arm around my waist and kissed my cheek.

“We are going to look all over for your family when we get to Alaska. I promise.” He said.

I smiled. “Thank you.” I whispered, kissing him.

Camille showed us the map. She pointed out a few key locations that she had found before we met to search for supplies. We split also split up the jobs. Camille would look for guns and ammo, Carl would gather food and water, and I, being the only one that knew how to fix cars, would siphon gas and work on any repairs that the RV required, and, as promised, Connor would accompany me.

After a short breakfast of stale cereal, we all suited up to head out. Camille gave Connor a pocketknife and made him swear literally on his life that he would stay with me at all times. Of course, he agreed. As soon as we left, I felt Connor’s small fingers slide between mine. I looked down at him to see him beaming up at me.

“See, this way there is no way we will get separated.” He said happily.

I smiled down at him. “Nope. We definitely cannot get separated now.” I said, ruffling his hair.

We arrived at the house that had the RV a few minutes later. I forced open the garage door and approached the RV. I told Connor to look inside for walkers. I knew for sure there weren’t any in there, but I wanted him to feel useful, so I told him to check anyways.

As soon as announced that the RV was clear, I walked inside. Indeed, it was a luxury RV. There was a kitchen, that included a dishwasher, a sink, stove and oven. Next to the kitchen was a forty-three inch TV, and across from that was a U-bench dinette and to the left of that was a seventy-two inch sofa. Those were all to the left of the door. To the right of the door were the driver’s and passenger’s seats. Past the kitchen and living room area was a small hallway that contained the door to the bathroom on the right side, bunk beds on the left side, and at the end of the hallway was a doorway that led to a bedroom that had a king bed, another TV, and a dresser.

“This place is awesome!” Connor said in awe as he joined me in the bedroom.

“Yep! This is what we will be taking to Alaska.” I said, smiling down at him.

Connor ran over to the driver’s seat and sat down. He discovered that the seats spun around, so naturally, he did as any seven-year-old boy would do, he started spinning and laughing. I chuckled and left the RV. I looked to the roof to find that there were solar panels installed. That would be useful.

I went back into the RV. Connor was sitting at the dinette with his head down on the table.

“Dizzy?” I commented.

“Mhmm.” Connor groaned.

I chuckled and sat down in the driver’s seat. I started looking around for the key and found it in the glove compartment. These people made it too easy. I turned the key in the ignition. The RV started. I drove it out of the garage and back to our house.

As soon as we got there, there was a weird sound and the RV shut down. I did manage to get it into the driveway, though.

Camille, hearing the sound that the RV made, walked from the house as Connor and I left the RV.

“That didn’t sound good.” She said.

“No, it did not.” I said.

I walked over to the engine compartment and opened it. I looked around to find that the carburetor was blown to all hell. I was surprised that it made it even down the street.

“The carburetor needs to be replaced. We aren’t going anywhere on this one.” I said, closing the engine compartment.

“There’s a scrapyard about ten minutes away.” Camille said.

I did remember seeing that scrapyard a few months back. I wanted to check it out, see if I could find anything useful, but there were people in there, so I opted against it.

“I’ll go out in a bit, siphon some fuel on the way.” I said.

 Camille leaned in and whispered, “You have to be careful. There is a group staying around there. They’re VERY dangerous, Jason. VERY dangerous. If you see them, you run, you run like you’ve never run before, I mean it.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow! That's Chapter Eleven! Jason and Carl finally got to have their hot, hot sex. Jason's accident really put a damper on their sex life...By the way, for those who aren't Alaskans, dip-netting is a way of salmon fishing that's only legal for Alaska residents. Basically, what you do is you take a giant net, and you stand in the water until a salmon swims into the net. It's actually a lot of fun. The fish are so intent on getting to the rover to spawn that they really don't care about the people, so you can talk if you want. Though, it does kind of hurt when the salmon smack against your leg. But it's impossible to not catch something when you're dip-netting. Last time I went, I caught SEVENTEEN Alaskan King Salmon! So yeah, that's what dip-netting is. Keep an eye out for Chapter Twelve! Stay Constitutional! Love y'all!


	12. A Dangerous Reunion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Jason and Carl search for a new engine piece, only to find something else.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bonjour, bitches! Welcome to Chapter Twelve! As proof of how sincerely apologetic I am about not posting for so long, I've been meticulously writing to get Chapter Twelve posted as soon as possible, and here it is! I put off posting a new chapter in   
> 'A Summer, An Eternity' to get this up. I'll be writing as much as I can to post more regularly now that my school year is basically over and I'm not doing nearly as much about moving anymore, most everything is done already. So yeah, here's Chapter Twelve! Enjoy!

“Please take me with you, Jason! How can I protect you if I’m not with you?” Connor begged, tugging on the sleeve of my blue flannel.

“It’s too dangerous, Connor. I promise I can protect myself.” I replied.

Connor sighed and stormed off into the house. I closed the hood of the car I was going to take. I had just finished inspecting the engine to make sure the car wouldn’t break down while I was out. I walked back into the house. I glanced at myself in the mirror next to the door. My long blonde hair was a mess and there was car grease on my clothes. Carl came up behind me and wrapped his arms around my waist. He kissed my cheek.

“Are you as mesmerized by your sexiness as I am?” He whispered, kissing my neck.

“More like my ugliness.” I said.

“Are you kidding? Have you seen your eyes? They’re so blue. I could stare into them all day. And your face? It’s perfect. Your hair needs to be fixed, though.” Carl said.

“Fix it for me? I got car grease on my hands.” I requested.

Carl started running his fingers through my hair. It slowly went from a tangled mess to a slightly less tangled mess. I loved it when he played with my hair, it felt really good for some reason.

I heard sniffling coming from the living room. It sounded like Connor.

“I have to check on Connor. He sounds upset.” I said.

“I’ll come with you.” Carl said.

He took his hand in mine and walked with me into the dining room. Connor sat on one of the couches with his face in his hands. He was crying.

I sat down next to him and wrapped an arm around him. He buried his face in my shoulder and continued to cry.

“What’s wrong, Connor?” I asked.

“I-I don’t w-want you to l-leave. I don’t want you to d-die.” Connor replied.

“Hey, bud. I won’t die. I promise. I’ll be back for you.” I said, pulling him into a tight hug.

“B-but what if you don’t? I need you, Jason, you can’t die.” Connor cried.

“I’m not going to die, Connor. Do you remember when I saved you and your mom? It was only a few days ago.” I said.

Connor looked at me, his bloodshot green eyes questioning. “Y-yeah.” He sniffled.

“Do you remember how many walkers were there? There were at least ten, and Carl and I took them down. Every last one of them, we killed them. Those things won’t kill me. I promise. I’ll be back by tomorrow.” I assured him.

“Carl has to go with you.” Connor demanded.

I smiled. “Of course Carl is coming with me.” I said, ruffling his hair.

“Okay, you can go. But if you’re not back by tomorrow I’m coming to look for you.” Connor said.

I chuckled. “Okay, deal. But I have to get ready to go, bud.” I said, getting up.

“Wait,” Connor said. He wrapped his arms tightly around me and buried his face in my chest. “I love you, Jason.”

“I love you too, bud.” I said.

Connor let me go, allowing me to get up. Carl and I walked up to our bedroom. I sat on the bed and cleaned and sharpened my sword. Carl grabbed some extra clips for his Beretta and his silencer. We went down to the kitchen and packed some granola bars and a few bottles of water.

“Okay. I think we’re ready.” I said.

“Let’s go then. We need to get there and back as quickly as possible. The sooner we get this RV fixed, the better.” Carl said.

“You’re just saying that because the RV has electricity and hot water.” I quipped, nudging him with my elbow.

“That’s part of it.” Carl confessed.

Camille and Connor came down the stairs. Camille pulled us both into a hug, and Connor pulled me into a tight hug after that.

“You boys be careful. Carl, you take care of Jason. We can’t lose our leader, now, can we?” Camille said.

I was surprised by that. I never considered myself to be the leader. I mean, I was only fourteen. I didn’t know the first thing about leading a group, but I guess when a leader naturally rises, it’s meant to be.

“Jason is a pretty great leader.” Carl beamed, looking over at me.

“Why am I leader? When did this happen?” I asked.

“You started this group, Jason. Not only that but you’re good at allocating resources, planning, and you make decisions that benefit everyone. You are our leader, and you’re a damn good one at that.” Carl said.

I smiled and kissed him. I guess he was right. I mean, I did start the group when I invited Carl to stay with me instead of going back to his father. And I did invite Camille and Connor into the group. And all I wanted was to do what was best for the group.

“Alright. You boys get out of here. Go get that carburetor so we can get up to Alaska.” Camille said.

“Okay, let’s go,” I said. I knelt down so I was eye level with Connor. He looked upset. “I’ll be back soon, bud. You take care of your mom, okay? You make sure she’s safe.”

Connor smiled and wrapped his arms around my neck, hugging me tightly. “You be safe, Jason. I love you.” He said.

“I love you too, Connor. I promise I’ll be back.” I said.

Connor let me go, allowing me to get up. Carl and I left the house and went out to the black 2009 Toyota Prius that was sitting in the driveway in front of the RV.

We got in the car and I drove us off down the road. I remembered exactly how to get to that scrapyard. I had been scoping it out for a long time, hoping that the people who occupied it would go away. If they weren’t gone when we got there, we would have to sneak in and hope that we find the right carburetor without getting caught.

## Carl’s POV

I looked over at Jason as he drove, and I couldn’t look away. The sun made his beautiful blue eyes shimmer, and his blonde hair glow. My boyfriend was perfect. I reached over and intertwined our fingers. Jason looked over at me and smiled briefly before turning his attention back to the road.

“Carl… Can I ask you a question?” Jason said.

“Sure, babe. What’s up?” I replied.

“We are about to leave Georgia for good. This is where your father is, where Michonne is, where Carol, Maggie, Glenn, Hershel, Judith, Beth, all of them, we are about to leave them behind. Do you want to go back, let your dad know that you’re alive and let him know that you’re never going to see him again?” Jason asked, occasionally glancing at me, concern in his eyes.

I thought about it. I never thought about my dad, going back to see him before we left forever. I didn’t know whether seeing him would be good for him or not, whether it would be good for him or not. It would probably be better for all of us if I didn’t go see him.

“I… I don’t know, Jason.” I said, looking out the window.

Jason squeezed my hand, making me look back at him. He leaned over and kissed me softly.

“It’s okay if you don’t want to go. I get that. But if you decide that if you do want to go see him, I’ll go with you.” He said.

I smiled. “Thank you, I love you.”

“I love you too.” Jason said.

We arrived at the scrapyard about twenty minutes later. We got out and checked the place out. Jason told me about the group that lived there for a while, and about the group that Camille warned him about. We decided to be extra careful, just in case.

We snuck around the fencing, looking inside for any sign of people living there. After about three rounds, Jason decided that it was safe enough to go in. Since the fence had barbed wire, we had to go back to the car to get some bolt cutters and Jason’s tools for when we actually found the carburetor. I cut open the fence and we slipped through.

“We’re looking for an RV, any kind. Preferably one of a similar year. Let me know if you find something.” Jason said.

“What? We’re gonna split up?” I asked. I didn’t want to leave Jason alone. What if the group showed up and captured Jason? What if he got hurt? Or there were walkers? I couldn’t leave him alone.

“Yeah. This scrapyard is huge. We need to split up or we will be here for days.” Jason replied.

I hesitated. If something happened to him, I would never forgive myself. But he had a point. If we didn’t split up, it would take forever to search that junkyard.

“Okay. But you be safe, Jason. I can’t lose you.” I said, wrapping my arms around his waist and kissing him.

Jason wrapped his arms around my neck and kissed me again, this time for longer, about ten seconds. When he broke the kiss, he stared at me, his blue eyes shimmering with affection.

“I’ll be fine, Carl. I love you.” He said.

“I love you too.” I said.

Jason headed off one way, and I went another. I looked around for an RV. I found one pretty quickly, but it was older. I looked around it. I saw something on the RV that stopped me in my tracks. There were letters on the side that read: _Dale & Irma Horvath_.

It was Dale’s RV. I never thought I’d see it again after it was left behind at the farm when it was overrun. I went inside and memories hit me like a freight train. When Shane taught me how to catch frogs, when Dad found us. I felt tears welling in my eyes. I sat down at the small kitchen table.

“Babe… You okay?” I heard Jason ask.

He was standing in the doorway of the RV, looking at me with concern in his blue eyes. He walked inside and sat next to me, wrapping an arm around me. I rested my head on his shoulder.

“This was… Dale’s RV. He was a member of our group, one of my favorite people. He died a couple years ago. We lost this RV not that long after.” I explained.

“Oh wow. What do you want to do with it?” Jason asked.

“I don’t want to keep it. It brings back too many memories.” I replied.

“Do you want to sit here for a bit?” Jason asked.

I nodded. Jason kissed my forehead. We sat there for a few minutes before we decided to keep looking. We checked the carburetor, but Jason said that it wasn’t the right kind. We split up again to keep looking. After about an hour of searching, I found an RV that was the exact same make and model as our RV.

“Hey, Jason! I found something!” I called.

I opened the engine compartment so Jason could just take it out and we could get out of there. I noticed that Jason hadn’t replied.

“Jason?!” I called.

“Carl! Carl! Help!” I heard Jason scream.

“JASON!” I screamed, running in the direction of his voice.

“Carl!” Jason screamed.

I ran until I found Jason. He was on his knees, hands bound, with a gun to his head. I looked to his captor. The eyepatch, angry blue eyes, I recognized him immediately. 

“Governor.” I said quietly.

The Governor smirked. “Hello, Carl. Let’s talk.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OOOHHH NOOOOO!!!!! Jason!!! He got captured!!!! But what does the Governor want? Will Carl be able to meet his demands? And if he can't, what will the Governor do to Jason if Carl can't meet the Governor's demands? I guess you'll just have to wait to find out! Keep an eye out for Chapter Thirteen! Stay Constitutional! Love y'all!


	13. Caught Between a Rock and a Hard Place

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Jason and Carl escape The Governor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bonjour, bitches! Welcome to Chapter Thirteen! I've been writing away on this story at the expense of 'A Summer, An Eternity'. That's okay, though, because I've hit a major writer's block on that one, and I never seem to hit writer's blocks on this one, so it's all Gucci. Anyways, here's Chapter Thirteen! Enjoy!

## Jason’s POV

I struggled against the ropes that bound my hands. This guy, whom Carl referred to as ‘The Governor’, with an eyepatch just snuck up behind me and hit me with… something. Something really hard too, my head really hurt. But what did he hit me with?

“Just let Jason go, please.” Carl begged.

“I don’t want to hurt you or your boyfriend, Carl. I just need some information.” The Governor said.

Carl hesitated for a moment. “What do you want?” Carl growled.

“How many guns do you have at that prison?” The Governor asked.

“I don’t know. I haven’t been there in a long time, but I do know there is a lot, so there is no point in trying to attack them. You’ll lose, again.” Carl snarled.

“Lose the attitude, boy, or Jason loses a finger.” The Governor warned.

That set Carl OFF. I had never in my life seen him so upset. He stormed forward and shoved the Governor against an old refrigerator.

“You have no power over me, do you hear me? Whatever problems you have with my dad, you work them out with him, but never, _ever_ go after Jason again, do you hear me. It will be the last thing you do.” Carl snarled, jamming his knife into The Governor’s leg.

The Governor hissed in pain and fell to the ground. Carl kicked him twice to make sure that he wouldn’t get up. He turned around and cut the ropes off my hands before pulling me close to him and embracing me tightly and showering me with kisses.

“Are you okay?” He asked, gripping my shoulders and looking me over.

“I’m fine. Let’s just find what we’re looking for and get the hell out of here.” I replied, giving him one last kiss before getting up.

Carl grabbed a zip tie he found on the ground and used it to cuff the Governor to the refrigerator. Thankfully, he was still knocked out.

“Did you find anything?” I asked.

“No. I thought I did but then you screamed for help, so I came running. Now I have no idea where that RV is.” Carl replied.

“That’s okay, because I got something right here. It’s a perfect match for our RV.” I said proudly, pulling a carburetor out of my bag.

“Okay, awesome. Let’s get the hell out of here before he wakes up.” I said.

Carl and I ran for the hole we cut in the fence. We knew that we needed to be long gone before The Governor woke up so he couldn’t follow us back. I couldn’t let him find Connor.

We ran back to the car to find the tires slashed. The Governor must have slashed them before he captured me to make sure we couldn’t escape.

“Shit.” I whispered.

“He must have drove here, we just need to find his car.” Carl said.

“What if he wakes up and finds us before we find whatever he drove to get here.” I said.

“Then we kill him. If he wakes up, then we kill him.” Carl said.

I nodded. It was fair. There would be no reason to kill him if we take his vehicle and get the hell out of there, mainly because without his car, there would be no way for him to get back to wherever he came from.

Carl and I searched all around the perimeter, but we didn’t find a car. We decided to check the woods around the scrapyard. There was a clearing ahead with a truck surrounded by five people. They all had assault rifles.

“Get down.” I hissed, pulling Carl down behind a bush.

“There are five, all armed with assault rifles. I don’t know if they’re with The Governor or not.” I whispered.

“They are. That guy over there,” Carl pointed to a Latino man, “he was one of the people who attacked the prison with The Governor last year.”

“Wait, is that how you know The Governor?” I whispered.

“We’ll talk about that later. We need to figure out how we’re going to get past these people.” Carl replied.

“Draw them out, get them to go to The Governor. When they get back with him, we will be gone with that truck.” I whispered.

“How do we do that without them finding us?” Carl whispered.

I looked around. I thought that if I could find a tree that I could climb into, I could hide in the foliage and call down to them, trick them into going into the scrapyard to find The Governor. I spotted one on the other side of the clearing. I would sneak around the clearing and climb into the tree.

“Across the clearing there, I can climb into that tree and hide in the foliage. I’ll tell them that me and my men have captured The Governor, and we are holding him in the scrapyard. I’ll tell them that if they don’t come to the scrapyard, we will kill him slowly. They will go running and we can make off with the truck.” I whispered.

“Okay. Let’s go.” Carl agreed.

We crept around the clearing, careful not to crackle any leaves or snap any twigs. We could not alert them of our presence, it would ruin everything and might even get us killed.

Once we reached the tree, we climbed up until we were completely shielded by the foliage.

“Attention! Me and my men have your leader in custody. The man with the eyepatch will die slowly if you don’t come to the scrapyard. We wish only to talk, but we will resort to force if we must.” I yelled.

“Who are you? Where are you?” The Latino man yelled.

The five men in the clearing all raised their rifles, scanning the area around them. \

“Names don’t matter. My location doesn’t matter. You have until the count of three to head toward the scrapyard, or we cut out your leader’s other eye.” I yelled.

“Let’s go!” The Latino man yelled, running into the forest toward the scrapyard.

The men followed suit, running off into the forest with him.

Carl and I climbed down from the tree and ran toward the truck. Carl opened the driver’s side door and started searching the truck while I drew my sword and stood guard.

“Found the key!” Carl exclaimed, holding up a key.

“Awesome! Let’s get the fuck out of here.” I said.

Carl said that I should drive, since I knew how to get back. I jumped into the driver’s seat and started the truck. Carl jumped into the bed of the truck and drew his pistol. I guess he decided that he would defend the truck just in case the men came back.

I started driving out of the woods. The five men jumped in front of the truck just before we left the woods and aimed their rifles at us. Carl started shooting, and I ducked down and slammed on the gas. I felt the truck hit a couple of the men as we sped past them. I turned left on the road and sped away. The remaining men started shooting at us. Carl continued shooting back at them. I felt one of the tires blow out and I struggled to maintain control.

The truck veered off the road into a ditch. I had to slam on the brakes. As soon as the truck came to a stop I jumped out and drew my sword. It was the back left tire that was shot out.

“Duck behind the truck!” Carl yelled.

I ran around to the other side and ducked down. If those men wanted to get to me, they would have to come close enough for me to put them to the sword.

“Come out, now! You’re caught!” One of the men yelled.

“Fuck you! Why don’t you come around here and get us?” I challenged.

“Little bitch.” The man snarled.

I heard footsteps approaching from the other side. As soon as the man came into view, I swung my sword, slashing his throat. He collapsed, struggling to breathe through the blood. He died a few moments later.

“There are only two left now. You ran over two, and that guy makes three. I can probably just shoot down the other two.” Carl said.

“No, Carl. It’s too dangerous. We need to draw them over and take them out one at a time.” I argued.

“I can, I can take them out.” Carl persisted.

“Carl, no. You claim I’m the leader, well here is me leading. I have no doubt in my mind that you can hit both of them right between the eyes and come out unscathed, but I can’t risk it. I can’t lose you.” I said.

Carl hesitated but nodded.

“Come get us, shitheads!” I taunted.

“I’ll kill you, piece of shit.” One of the men growled.

One of the men appeared next to Carl. Carl raised his gun and shot the man. He collapsed, bleeding from his head.

“Okay, take this last one out.” I said.

Carl stood up and shot the last man. I heard a thud, signifying that Carl was successful. We left our cover and began searching for a spare tire. Without one, there would be no way that we could get back to Camille and Connor.

“There’s one under the truck.” Carl said, looking under the truck.

“But there are no tools.” I said.

“Your toolbox is over by our car. I can run back and get it.” Carl offered.

“We don’t know how far away it is.” I argued.

“I do. We didn’t travel far. If I cut through the woods, I’ll be back where we started in a few minutes. I’ll be back here in ten minutes tops.” Carl replied.

I thought for a moment. If The Governor got free, he could get Carl and I wouldn’t be there to protect him. I didn’t know if I could live with being the reason that Carl was captured and maybe even killed, but what other choice did I have? One of us had to stay with the car and I figured it would be more dangerous to stay with the car.

“Fine. If you aren’t back in ten minutes, I’m coming for you.” I said.

Carl wrapped his arms around my waist and kissed me. “I’ll be back.”

I kissed him one last time. “Please be safe. I love you.”

“I will. I love you too, Jason.” Carl said.

He headed off into the woods toward the scrapyard. If he didn’t make it, I wouldn’t survive.

**Carl’s POV**

I ran towards the scrapyard. I needed to get Jason’s toolbox so we could get out of here with the new carburetor so we could get the hell out of Georgia. The sooner, the better.

The scrapyard and our car came into view. I saw Jason’s toolbox sitting next to the passenger’s side door. I ran up to the car, but before I could grab Jason’s toolbox, I was slammed against the car door. I fell to the ground, my vision blurry. I looked up to see the Governor standing over me with a gun pointed at me.

“This would have been a lot better for you and your boyfriend if you hadn’t stabbed me and killed my men. You’re going to pay, Carl, Jason too.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Holy. Shit. If there's one thing I love, it's making The Governor more hated. No one gets between Jason and Carl's relationship and survives, except maybe The Governor's bitch ass. I guess we'll see. So keep an eye out for Chapter Fourteen! Stay Constitutional! Love y'all!


	14. Showdown

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Jason and Carl fight for their lives.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bonjour, bitches! So, I've decided to make this story my top priority; I'm sidelining 'A Summer, An Eternity' for now. So I've been writing the shit out of this book. In fact, I've already started writing Chapter Fifteen. I just feel like this story is a lot more appreciated than 'A Summer, An Eternity'. So yeah, here's Chapter Fourteen! Enjoy!

**Carl’s POV**

The Governor grabbed me by my shirt and slammed me against the car. I wanted to scream for Jason, but I couldn’t, I don’t know why.

“You should have just told me what I wanted to know.” The Governor growled.

I looked him dead in the eyes. “Fuck. You. Jason will come looking for me, and when he does, you’ll wish you never crossed our path.”

The Governor smirked and slammed his knee into my stomach, knocking the wind out of me. “Ha. Your little boyfriend ain’t gonna do shit. He shows up, I’ll make him watch me kill you slowly, then I’ll kill him.” The Governor growled.

“That’s cute.” I sneered.

“Even if he does show up, you’ll be dead before he gets here.” The Governor said, grinning.

## Jason’s POV

I leaned against the truck, waiting for Carl to show up. He promised he would only take a few minutes, but he had been gone ten. I knew I was probably just being paranoid. He was probably just having trouble finding the car. Or maybe my tools weren’t over by the car like I thought they were.

I let my worry get the better of me. I drew my sword and ran off toward the scrapyard. When I emerged from the woods, the car we arrived in sat right in front of me, but Carl was nowhere in sight. I ran up to the car to find a large dent in the side that wasn’t there before, and the window cracked.

I froze with fear. The Governor must’ve gotten free, and he must have gotten to Carl. I frantically looked around, looking for any sign of where The Governor took Carl. I saw drag marks along the dirt road. The lines were inconsistent, meaning that Carl was struggling, meaning that he was alive five minutes ago, when the marks were made.

“No, no, no, Carl. I’m coming for you.” I whispered, taking off, following the tracks.

I ran until the dirt road turned pavement, where I couldn’t track them anymore. I looked around in all direction, looking for any sign of Carl and The Governor.

“Dammit, no.” I cursed.

“JASON!” I heard Carl call. He was really far away. I didn’t know how far. Easily a couple miles.

“CARL!” I yelled.

“JASON!” Carl yelled again.

He was northwest of me, that’s what I could determine from his voice.

I ran in that direction as fast as I possibly could. I had to find Carl. He couldn’t die. I couldn’t lose the thing I loved most in this world. I couldn’t lose him.

“JASON!” Carl screamed again.

He was a lot closer this time. Likely less than a mile. I had to get to him before The Governor killed him. I had to kill The Governor. I had no choice.

I found Carl tied to a tree with twenty-three walkers closing in on him. My heart lurched. That was more than I could fight on my own. I had to draw them away, thin them out. That way I could take them down.

“Hey! Come get me! It’s more fun to kill someone who can fight back, right? So come get it!” I yelled, drawing my sword.

The walkers turned their attention from Carl to me and began stumbling toward me. I took a few steps back. Once the first one got to me, I swung my sword, slashing its head in half. The second one lunged. I dodged and shoved my sword into the back of its head. One after another, and sometimes two or three at a time, the walkers lunged, and I cut them down. After about the thirteenth walker, my lungs were burning, and my muscles were screaming for me to stop. I didn’t know how much I had in me. But I kept fighting, I had to, for Carl. So the beautiful boy that I love so much would live. Even if I get bit, if I kill all those walkers and Carl lives, I’ll have done my job.

I managed to kill all twenty-three walkers. Once the last one fell, I collapsed. Dark spots dotted my vision. I tried to get up, but I couldn’t. Every time I tried, my muscles gave out.

“Jason! Jason are you okay?” I heard Carl ask, worry in his voice.

“Carl… I’m okay. But… I can’t get up.” I breathed.

“Jason… Please get up, you gotta get up. We need to get out of here before The Governor comes back.” Carl pleaded.

Hearing his voice gave me some strength, enough to get up. I grabbed my sword and stumbled over to Carl. I cut the ropes that bound him to the tree. Carl wrapped an arm around me, helping me stay up. I weakly wrapped my arm around his shoulder.

“Okay, let’s get out of here.” Carl said.

We started walking slowly back in the direction that I came in. The sun was already setting. We needed to find shelter soon, or else we would both die for sure. I knew that we wouldn’t find anywhere in the next hour, at least. I felt my eyes starting to droop shut. I couldn’t stay awake much longer.

## Carl’s POV

I felt Jason start to go limp, he was passing out.

“Jason! Please stay awake. We’ll be back at the scrapyard soon.” I pleaded.

“I… can’t.” Jason breathed.

“You have to, Jason. We are almost there.” I said.

“Doesn’t look like you’re going anywhere.” I heard The Governor behind me.

I turned around to see him holding a metal pipe. He never got his gun back after I took him down earlier, if he even had a gun to begin with, I couldn’t remember. I reached down to my holster to find that my gun was not there. The Governor must have taken it. Then why wasn’t he using it against me.

I set Jason down against a tree. I took his sword from its sheathe and raised it. I had no idea how to use it, but I had no other choice. I had to kill The Governor.

The Governor raced toward me, raising the pipe and swinging it. I ducked out of the way and swung the sword. The sword slashed his chest, leaving a deep gash. The Governor hissed and spun around. He swung the pipe again, striking me in the leg.

I screamed and fell, sharp pain shooting up my leg. I stood up, barely able to put weight on my injured leg. I raised the sword again. The Governor swung the pipe. I raised the sword and blocked the blow. He swung again, this time toward my feet. I blocked it once again.

I swung the sword. The Governor moved to block it, but he missed, and the sword sliced into his arm. The Governor swung the pipe forcefully, hitting me in the side. I screamed and fell, struggling to breathe.

The Governor swung the pipe down. I raised the sword and blocked it, but barely. The Governor slammed his foot down on my arm, making the sword fly from my hand. The Governor slammed the pipe down. I dodged it. He slammed it down again, and again, and again. I dodged it each time.

The Governor placed his foot down on my chest. This was it. I couldn’t dodge anymore. His foot was holding me in place.

“Now, Carl. You’ll pay. Then Jason will pay. This is it. You should have just told me what I wanted to know.” The Governor growled.

## Jason’s POV

“Now, Carl. You’ll pay. Then Jason will pay. This is it. You should have just told me what I wanted to know.” I heard The Governor growl.

My eyes flew open and I had my energy back. It was temporary, obviously. It was the adrenaline. I crept over, grabbed my sword, and walked up beside The Governor. I kicked him forcefully in the side, causing him to stumble away from Carl and collapse on the ground.

“No. Carl won’t pay, I won’t pay. _You’re_ going to pay. You should have left well enough alone and let us go. Everything we have done was in response to your actions. You brought this on yourself. And now, you’re going to die.” I snarled, kicking him in the chest.

The Governor got up and raised the pipe. He swung it at my side. I blocked it and kicked his chest. He coughed and stumbled backwards. I slashed at him, cutting him directly across the chest.

He swung again, this time at my head. I blocked it once again. I body slammed him into a tree. He fell down to the ground. I kicked the pipe away from him.

“Look at me.” I growled.

He ignored me.

“LOOK AT ME!” I screamed.

The Governor looked up, hatred burning in his eyes.

“This world is going to be so much better without you. You tried to kill me, you tried to kill Carl, you’re a danger to Carl’s family and friends. This is for Carl, this is for me. This is for the entire of humanity.” I said.

I plunged the sword down into his neck. He slowly slid down the blade until his body rested on the ground. I pulled the sword out of his neck and collapsed, my entire world going dark.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And so ends The Governor. It was actually one of my readers who gave me the idea to have Jason be the one to kill The Governor. So thanks so @DaddyChad for that idea... I was going to take this chapter in a completely different direction, but this suggestion was so powerful that I just had to do it. So thank you again! You are truly appreciated. Chapter Fifteen should be up later, either tonight (I'm in Paris so this was posted at 23:31, or 11:31 pm Central European Time) or tomorrow sometime. So keep an eye out! Stay Constitutional! Love y'all!


	15. Tell the World I'm Coming Home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Camille, Connor, Jason, and Carl begin the long and challenging journey to Alaska.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bonjour, bitches! Welcome to Chapter Fifteen! I'm sorry it's been a hot minute since I last posted a chapter; I hit a major writer's block, but I'm out of it now so everything is thoroughly Gucci. Also, I'VE GRADUATED FROM MOTHERFUCKIN HIGH SCHOOL BITCHES!!!!! I can't even begin to describe how good it feels to be finally free!!! Also, I'm moving back to the States the day after tomorrow, which is super exciting!!! But y'all don't give 2.556 fucks about that, so here's Chapter Fifteen! Enjoy!

**Jason’s POV**

I woke up on the ground next to The Governor’s body in a pool of his blood, my sword lying next to me, and Carl lying a few feet away.

“Carl.” I whispered.

“J-Jason.” Carl managed. He was struggling to breathe. The Governor must have hurt him.

“Carl are you okay?” I asked.

“I-I think so. Are you?” He replied.

“I think so. We need to get out of here.”

I tried to get up, but my muscles gave out. We had to get up or we would die. Walkers would find us and bite into us and we would die.

Images of Connor waiting by the door for me to return flooded my mind. I pictured him sitting by the door, day after day, waiting for us, begging Camille to let him go out and look for us. I imagined him crying by the door when he finally realized we weren’t coming back. I imagined his sparkling, happy green eyes losing their sparkle, their happiness. I imagined him losing the boyish energy that never failed to bring a smile to my face. I imagined him crying for days over my death.

I slowly stood up, for Connor. I was not going to damage that sweet little boy. I grabbed my sword and sheathed it.

“Carl, c’mon, we gotta go.” I said, walking over to him.

Carl lifted himself up, wincing in pain and clutching his side. The Governor must’ve hit him there. I would have to check for broken ribs when we got back.

We wrapped our arms around each other, leaning on each other to stay up. We had a long way to go on so little energy. If we ran into walkers, we would die for sure. Neither of us had the strength to fight them off. Carl was injured and I… had just single handedly fought and killed twenty three walkers with a sword after running two miles and then killed The Governor. I was drained. Every step hurt. My muscles burned as if consumed by fire with every step. But I had to fight through it for Carl, Camille, and Connor. They needed me as much as I needed them.

“Jason! Carl!” I swear I heard Connor call. I was probably imagining it.

“D-did you… hear that?” Carl asked.

“I heard Connor’s voice.” I said.

“Jason! Carl!” I heard Camille yell.

“Camille!” I yelled.

“Jason! Don’t move. We’re coming!” Camille called.

Carl and I stopped in our tracks and waiting for Camille and Connor. I didn’t expect them to come looking for us. I never thought that Camille would bring Connor out here. I guess I was wrong.

Camille and Connor ran out in front of us. Camille looked shocked. Carl and I were both covered in blood, bruises, cuts, scrapes, Carl had a black eye.

“Jason, you’re alive!” Connor exclaimed, running forward and hugging me tightly. I hugged him back with my free arm.

“I told you I’d be fine.” I said.

“You’re not fine, Jason. But you will be. I’m gonna take REALLY good care of you, you’ll see.” Connor said.

“C’mon, let’s get you boys home and cleaned up.” Camille said, ushering us out of the woods.

“What the fuck?! Hey, guys! Someone killed The Governor!” I heard a man yell behind us.

“Shit! Hurry up, boys! Let’s go!” Camille hissed, walking faster.

I picked up my pace a bit, but even that proved to be quite difficult. I just didn’t have the energy. I knew at that point that I was just slowing everyone down. Carl would’ve been able to walk faster if he wasn’t supporting me. If those men caught us, it would be on my hands. Connor’s death would be on my hands. Carl’s death would be on my hands. Camille’s death would be on my hands. I couldn’t accept that.

“Leave me behind.” I said.

“What? No, Jason. We aren’t leaving you behind.” Carl replied.

“I’m just slowing you guys down. They’ll catch up to us.” I said.

Camille pulled a pistol from her belt. “That’s why I have this.” She said.

“That might not be enough, and you know it. Just leave me behind and I’ll escape them through the trees.” I lied. I knew that I didn’t have the energy to weave through the trees. I didn’t even have the energy to climb into a tree.

“Jason we aren’t leaving you behind. I’ll help you walk faster.” Connor said, taking my hand and walking faster, taking me with him.

“See, it works.” Camille said with a smile.

“Where did they go? Can we track them?”  I heard another man ask from behind us.

I knew that they wouldn’t be able to track us, not in the dark. They would, however, be able to track us once the sun rose, so we just had to be out of the woods by sunrise, which didn’t seem impossible.

We switched directions, walking east instead of south. According to Camille, heading in that direction would get us out of the woods faster because we would end up in the scrapyard instead of on the road, which is about an extra mile.

The voices of the men faded off into the distance, which means that we were getting farther away from them.

Once we got out to the clearing, Camille rushed us into the scrapyard.

“Where do we go? Where’s the car?” I asked tiredly.

“Wait here. I’ll bring it around. C’mon Connor.” Camille said.

“I need to stay with Jason. I need to protect him.” Connor argued, hugging my arm.

I smiled. “It’s okay, Connor. You gotta protect your mom.”

“I don’t need to protect her. She’s really good at fighting. But you’re hurt and I need to make sure you’re safe.” Connor rebutted.

“Watch him?” Camille asked me.

I nodded. Camille smiled in appreciation and ran off in the direction of the car. I felt my eyes droop again and my muscles start to give out. Carl noticed and caught me before I collapsed, leaning my back against an old car.

“Jason, please stay awake.” Carl said.

I shook my head. “I just need to sleep.”

I closed my eyes and passed out immediately.

When I woke up, I was back at the house in mine and Carl’s room. Carl was sleeping peacefully next to me. I noticed that he had bandages wrapped around his ribs and all around his arms and torso; some of them were stained with blood. His fight with the Governor really did a number on him. I leaned down and kissed him lightly so as not to wake him. When he didn’t wake, I slowly sat up, pain searing through my muscles. I tried to stand up, but my legs gave out and I fell back onto the bed. I tried again, this time successfully standing up, though barely. I leaned against a dresser for support as I headed slowly toward the door.

I opened the door and headed down the hallway, using the wall to balance. When I reached the stairs, I put all my weight on the railing and slowly walked down the stairs, which proved to be quite difficult.

Camille and Connor were sitting at the table. Camille was consoling Connor, who appeared to be really upset. They both looked up at me as I walked in. The biggest smile spread across Connor’s tearstained face.

“Jason!” He screamed.

He lurched out of his chair and ran toward me, hugging me tightly and burying his face in my abdomen. I almost fell over from the force.

I wrapped my arms around him. “Hi, Connor.”

“We thought… we thought you were going to die. You were s-so weak.” Connor sobbed.

“I know, Connor. But I’m okay now.” I assured him.

“Like hell you are, Jason. You need to sit down. You look like you’re about to pass out. Let me get you something to eat and some water.” Camille said, getting up and guiding me to a chair.

As soon as I sat down, Connor plopped himself on my lap and wrapped his arms around me. Camille went into the kitchen and came out a few minutes later with a can of chicken noodle soup and a bottle of water.

It wasn’t until I saw the food that I realized how hungry I was. I took the can and downed the entire thing in a couple minutes; I also made short work of that water bottle.

“Now I need to replace that carburetor and we can get on the road.” I said.

“You need to rest and eat more first. As soon as you’re healthier, then you can fix the RV and we can get out of here. Not a moment sooner.” Camille argued.

“We are under threat of the Governor’s men. I’m sure they haven’t forgotten that I just stabbed their leader through the throat. If they find us here, we are dead. They have assault rifles and they have numbers. There is no way we can fight them off.” I rebutted.

“How could they track us here? We were completely alone when I came back with the car. There is no way for them to track us.” Camille questioned.

“Even so, we can’t be too careful. The sooner we are out of here, the better.” I responded.

“Connor, go help Jason fix the RV. I’ll start packing our stuff.” Camille said.

Connor jumped off of my lap in excitement and grabbed my hand. “C’mon, Jason! Let’s goooooo!”

I chuckled and got up, allowing him to lead me towards the front door. I spotted the bag with the carburetor in it by the front door. I grabbed it before walking out with Connor.

“Go open the hood, Connor. The button is inside the RV on the driver’s side.” I said.

Connor ran inside and looked around for a bit until he spotted the button. He pressed it and the engine compartment swung open. I grabbed some tools from the car that Camille drove us back home in and started working on the carburetor.

After about half an hour, the new carburetor was in and the RV ran like it was brand new. Connor and I went back into the house to see if Camille had finished packing our stuff yet. I walked into my bedroom to see Carl up and packing. He stopped working and smiled at me when I walked in.

“Thank god you’re okay. I thought you were going to die for a bit.” Carl said, wrapping his arms around my waist and giving me a long kiss.

“It’s nice to see that you’re okay. I saw that beating you took. I was afraid you weren’t going to make it.” I whispered, pressing my forehead against his.

“Are we ready in here?” I heard Camille ask from behind me.

“Yeah. Let’s go.” Carl replied, letting me go and grabbing our stuff.

I took a couple bags from him and brought them down to the RV. Connor was waiting patiently at the little dinette. I set the bags down and sat next to him. He smiled up at me, his green eyes shining.

Camille sat in the driver’s seat and Carl took his place in the passenger’s seat as the navigator. We pulled out of the driveway and started off down the road. As I watched the house get smaller and smaller as we drove, I looked ahead to the future. We had a long trip ahead of us, but our futures lied in Alaska. Once we got there, we could begin to reestablish society to what it once was, and maybe I could find my family. That’s what I was really looking forward too, the hope that my family was still alive and still in Alaska. If they were, God knows I was prepared to do everything humanly possible to find them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And they're off! They'll be in Alaska in god knows how long, but they've left, which is the most important step in getting somewhere. I don't know when I'll post the next chapter because once I get to New York there will be hella things to do... But we all already know that imma find a nice spot in Central Park to sit down and write shit out, so if anyone is in Central Park, you might just see me! But yeah, keep an eye out for Chapter Sixteen, it should be out relatively soon. Stay Constitutional! Love y'all!


	16. Middle of Bumfuck Nowhere, Mississippi

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which the team scavenges for supplies in a tiny town in Mississippi, and returns with a lot more than what they left for.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bonjour, bitches! Welcome to Chapter Sixteen! It took longer than anticipated to post this chapter. But in my defense, my dad has been lugging me all over NYC telling me that I need to "learn the area" which makes no sense because I won't even be living in NYC, I will be living in upstate New York, but whatever. I will warn y'all though, once I get back up to my great home state of Alaska on the 22nd, I'll be working because a bitch needs funds for college, so I won't be able to write as much. I'll still do my best, though. And I'll try to get a chapter posted before I leave. I'm rewatching TWD again and I find that I'm a lot more productive in writing this when I'm watching TWD, so I'll keep doing that. Won't watch past Season 7 though. I'm not going to spoil it for anyone who hasn't gotten that far yet, but those of you who have, know why I REFUSE to watch Season 8 and beyond. So anyways, sorry for that long note and thank you if you read it. So here's Chapter Sixteen! Enjoy!

**Jason’s POV**

We’d been on the road for a week, stopping only to refill the tank and go on supply runs. We ran into the biggest herd of walkers I had ever seen about four days into the drive. We were stuck on the Interstate for six hours while the herd passed! Needless to say, Connor was terrified the whole time no matter how much I told him that they couldn’t get in. There we were, just acting like nothing was wrong all the while a gigantic herd was passing right by us.

Camille had relieved me of my driving duties about six hours ago and since then it had gotten dark. The analog clock on the wall told me it was almost one am. Carl was in our room sleeping, and I was playing paper football with Connor at the dinette.

“Jason, can I ask you a question?” Connor asked, flicking the paper football between my fingers.            

“Sure, bud. What’s up?” I replied, flicking it back and missing.

“How did you know that you liked boys instead of girls?”

I was somewhat taken aback by the question. I mean, that’s not exactly something you expect a seven-year-old to ask you… unless it is, and I just haven’t dealt with seven-year-olds in a long ass time. Either way, it kind of surprised me to the point where I didn’t really know how to answer it.

“Well, that’s a really good question. It wasn’t something I really noticed at first. I guess I never really realized it until Carl came around, but even before then I knew I was different because I was never interested in the pretty girls in school like the other boys were.” I replied, “why do you ask?”

Connor shrugged. “I dunno.” He said, but I could tell he was lying. Something was on that boy’s mind, and I was determined to find out what.

“Yes you do, Connor. C’mon, tell me. Maybe I can help.” I persisted.

Connor shrugged again. “It’s just… Before all this started, Mom put me in a preschool class. All the boys there liked this girl named Felicia, but I didn’t. I didn’t like any of the other girls either. It didn’t make sense to me how the other boys could like the girls.” He said nervously, fidgeting with the paper football.

That took me by surprise. I figured he was just curious as to what it was like to be gay. I had no idea that he actually thought he was gay too. Is that something you can know when you’re that young? I mean, at that age I knew I was different from the other boys, but since I didn’t know that homosexuality existed, I never knew how I was different. Maybe since Connor knew Carl and I and the relationship that we had, he was exposed to the idea and thus was able to figure out how he was different.

“Well did you like any of the boys in your class?” I asked.

Connor smiled and I saw a blush rise in his cheeks. “Yeah.” He said nervously, looking away from me.

“Tell me about him.” I requested.

“His name was Danny and he was my friend. We would play together at recess all the time and we would have sleepovers. Sometimes he would buy me things because he had lots of money. One time he got us some Transformers and we played with them until three in the morning. I think I loved him, but I don’t know. And I think he loved me too.” Connor explained, still smiling.

That was about the cutest thing I had ever heard.

“He sounds wonderful,” I said with a smile.

“He was. I really miss him.” Connor said.

“You’ll find someone like him, Connor. I promise.” I said.

Connor smiled. The RV stopped and Camille walked over to the dinette and sat next to Connor. He wrapped his arms around her, and she kissed his head.

“We are just about out of gas,” Camille said.

“I’ll go out and refill. Will you supervise?” I asked.

“Yeah,” Camille replied.

We developed a protocol for damn near everything in our lives so as to ensure our safety or whatever. It was Camille’s idea. The protocol for refilling was that one person would go out and refill the tank while another, called a supervisor lies on the roof with a bow so as to protect the person refueling from walkers and/or people who meant us harm.

I walked out of the RV and opened the storage compartment on the right side, which was where all of our gas cans were. I inventoried twenty-eight gas cans remaining after I took one out. Each gas can had enough gas to fill the tank, and each tank got us through at least one state, sometimes one and a half states.

Camille took her spot on the roof, surveilling the area around me for threats as I filled the tank. Once it was full, I placed the empty gas can in the part of the storage compartment designated for empty cans.

I sat back at the dinette as soon as I got inside and locked the door. Camille joined me a few moments later.

“We should stick around for a bit. See what we can scavenge from this town before we get going.” Camille suggested.

I nodded. “Where are we?”

“Far as I can tell, middle of bumfuck nowhere Mississippi.”

I laughed at Camille’s statement. “Are we close to any cities or large towns?”

“We are about forty miles south of Jackson. This town that we are in, though, it’s not too small. We can probably find everything that we need here.”

“We will go out tomorrow and see what we can find. We really need to focus on finding food and water. We aren’t low yet and we don’t want to get low. I don’t want to have to ration.”

“What about guns and ammo?”

“We should look for more silent means of defending ourselves. Bows, throwing knives. Connor has expressed interest in learning how to use a sword and I wanted to get your permission to teach him.”

“Of course you can teach him. So tomorrow, how about we split up? I’ll take Connor and you take Carl.”

“Sounds good. We should get some sleep then.”

“Should one of us stay up and keep watch?”

“No. Doors are locked, windows are tough. You parked in the woods so it will be hard to see the RV in the dark, and walkers can’t get in. I think we’re fine.”

“Okay. Good night, Jason.”

“Night, Camille.”

I got up and walked toward the back of the RV. Connor was lying on the top bunk of the bunk beds installed on the side of the RV, across from the bathroom in the hallway that led to the bedroom that Camille gave to Carl and me; claiming that since I discovered the RV and repaired it and I was the leader, that I should get the bedroom.

“Good night, Jason. I love you.” Connor said as I passed.

I looked over at him. “Night, bud. Love you too.”

Connor lied back on his bed and I went into the bedroom, closing the door behind me. Carl was lying in bed, completely passed out. I took off my clothes and crawled into bed, covering myself with the comforter and snuggling up next to Carl. He stirred but didn’t wake up. I kissed his lips lightly and rested my head next to his. I closed my eyes and was out in an instant.

The next morning, I woke up and Carl was already out of bed. I grabbed a towel and some clean clothes and headed into the bathroom to take a shower. The awesome thing about an RV is electricity, AC, and hot water. I took a quick shower, dressed, and headed to the main living area. Connor, Camille, and Carl were all sitting at the dinette. Carl smiled when he saw me. He moved over so I could sit next to him, giving me a quick kiss.

“Morning, Jason,” Camille said.

“Morning,” I replied.

“You must’ve been tired. When did you go to bed?” Carl asked.

“One, I think. Let me get something to eat and we can get out there.” I replied.

I grabbed a peach from the pile of them that we gathered from a gigantic peach tree on Georgia’s border with Alabama. I washed it in the sink and ate it quickly before going back to the bedroom, grabbing my sword, clipping the sheath to my belt. When I rejoined the group at the front of the RV, they were all ready to go.

“Ready?” Carl asked.

I nodded. “We meet back here before dark and then we get out of here. If anyone isn’t back by dark, we go looking.”

“Got it,” Camille said.

We left the RV and went separate directions; Camille and Connor to the residential part of town and Carl and me to downtown. It was more of a Main Street type town, with all local places and a McDonald’s.

“Let’s check this place first,” I said, pointing to a grocery store.

“Okay.” Carl agreed.

I drew my sword and Carl drew his pistol. I banged on the door to see if I could lure any walkers. The place was clear, so we went in, keeping our weapons drawn just in case. When we found the place to be officially clear, we sheathed our weapons.

The place was still pretty full. It seemed like only a few people had come through the town since the end. I mean, the town was pretty damn small. I wouldn’t be surprised if its population was whole fifteen redneck wife-beating, gun-wielding republicans.

“There is everything we could possibly need in here,” Carl commented.

“Let’s take as much as we can,” I said.

We started filling our backpacks with everything from toiletries to water bottles to food. I found a whole stock of Mac and Cheese boxes, which I sure as hell wasn’t about to pass up. One of the perks of electricity and running water was that we could finally cook again, and it had been upward of four and a half years since I’d last had the most glorious dish on this planet. I also grabbed canned foods and a bunch of those cake and cornbread mixes.

After we had raided the store of everything we could carry, we met back up at the front of the store.

“What’d you get?” Carl asked.

“Anything and everything. Mac and Cheese, canned soups and vegetables, and cake mixes. We will have to use powdered milk but I’m sure it’ll still be good.” I replied.

“I got water, lots of it. As well as some sodas and other drinks.”

“Good, that’s what we needed. I think we should go back to the RV before we try and gather anything else. We’ve pretty much reached our carrying capacities.”

“Sounds good.”

As we walked from the store, Carl reached out and slid his fingers between mine. We swung are conjoined hands back and forth as we walked. The streets were quiet. No sounds of walkers in the distance or even leaves rustling in the trees. It actually made for a pleasant walk.

When we got back, we stashed our findings in the RV and went back out.

“We should check that Cabela’s over there,” Carl said, pointing to the giant sign in the distance.

“That’s probably a good twenty miles away.”

“Probably, but a sign that big means a giant store.”

“We won’t be back before dark if we go out there. We should leave a note or something for Camille, so they don’t come looking.”

Carl nodded and ran back into the RV. He came back a few minutes later having written a note and left it on the dinette. We started walking in the direction of the Cabela’s.

“If I find a gun that I like, I’ll start carrying one,” I said.

Carl looked at me with shock in his blue eyes. It wasn’t a decision I came to lightly. God knows I didn’t ever want to carry a gun. Not because I was against guns, don’t get me wrong, it was just that I knew that there were quieter ways of protecting myself. However, I noticed the way Carl acted whenever we were on runs. He would keep his hand extra close to his gun and he’d be on extra high alert. He always refused splitting up. He was just overprotective. I wasn’t going to get a gun because his overprotectiveness annoyed me; I was getting a gun because of _why_ he was overprotective. He was worried about me, scared that he would lose me, and I wanted to ease that fear.

“Really? You’ll get a gun?” He asked. I wished that he didn’t sound so excited by it.

“Yes. I’ll get a gun.”

Carl grabbed my face with both hands and kissed me, hard. “Thank you, Jason. You have no idea how much that means to me.” He said when he broke the kiss.

I smiled. “I think I have some idea.”

We made it to Cabela’s in about two hours. Once we got there, I realized Carl was right. The store was massive and looking in, it seemed relatively untouched, much like the nearby town.

We drew our weapons, opened the door and swept the entire store for dangers. When we didn’t find any, we started looking for anything useful to us.

“Hey, Jason! Come over here!” I heard Carl call from across the store.

I walked over to where he was, at the gun section. He had a bunch of different guns sprawled out on the counter. Upon first inspection, only one stood out to me. There were two of them on the counter. I picked the gun up, raised it, and looked down the scope. I liked the way it felt, it wasn’t too heavy, my hand fit perfectly onto the grip. This was the one.

Carl picked up the label. “This is the Glock G40 Gen 4. 10 mm rounds, clip fits fifteen. There is a holster here for it that holds two extra clips. There are extra clips here. So all together you can have forty-five rounds at the ready.”

I nodded. “This one.”

Carl grabbed the holster and some extra clips. He grabbed all the 10 mm ammo boxes and handed me one along with the holster and the clips. I strapped the holster to my right thigh and filled the gun’s clip along with the extra clip. I holstered the gun and placed the extra clips in their respective pouches. Carl took the bag of ammo and put it with the others in a duffel bag he found. He also grabbed multiple different handguns, rifles, and shotguns, and enough ammo to last us a long while.

After searching the store further, we gathered some knives, a bunch of clothes for me, Carl, Connor, and Camille, some food and assorted drinks, a few propane tanks for the water heaters, and some camping equipment. In total, we filled three duffel bags.

By the time we left Cabela’s, the sun was just starting to set. We headed off in the direction of the RV.

“You know how to use your gun?” Carl asked.

“I grew up in Alaska. I shot my first gun at age four. By the time I was eight, I could hit a moose between the eyes from five hundred yards.” I replied.

“That’s pretty hot,” Carl said, taking my hand.

“Thank you, I try.”

We heard walkers snarling in the distance. Instead of going for my sword, I went for my new gun. I figured I could try it out, see if I’d gotten rusty. The first walker stumbled into view. I drew my Glock and fired, nailing it straight between the eyes. The feeling was exhilarating. Another stumbled into view. I shot it, also hitting it between the eyes. Carl shot down the third one, and I the fourth. I didn’t hear any more, so I holstered my gun. Carl mirrored me. He slid his fingers between mine as we walked.

“Hey! Hello! Please!” I heard a voice behind me.

Carl and I spun around, drawing and raising our guns. A man, standing at about 5’7”, an inch taller than me, with brown hair and blue eyes, ran up to us and stopped when he saw our guns trained on him.

“Please, we don’t mean any harm. It’s just me, my wife, and my son, he’s seven. We just need people.” The man pleaded.

A woman, standing at about 5’6”, with long blonde hair and green eyes, followed close behind her. She was holding a little boy’s hand. The boy stood at about 4’5” and had curly light brown hair and green eyes.

“What makes you think a couple of teenage boys will make any difference?” Carl asked.

“You’ve got an arsenal on your back. We would be a lot safer with you. Please, I just need to make sure my wife and son are safe.” The man begged.

I looked into his eyes. I could tell he was truly afraid, and his pleas were genuine. He meant no harm, and even if he did, I highly doubted that they could do anything to either me, Carl, or Camille.

“I think they’re genuinely afraid. And they couldn’t do us harm even if they wanted to, which I highly doubt they do.” I whispered.

Carl looked them over and nodded.

I lowered my gun. “How many walkers have you killed?”

“Umm, a lot. I really don’t know for sure.” He replied.

“How many people have you killed?”

“None.”

“Why?”

“It’s wrong. I would only ever kill someone if it meant protecting my family.”

Carl lowered and holstered his gun. I looked to him and nodded, signaling that they passed to my satisfaction.

“You can come with us. We have an RV but there isn’t room for you three. You’ll have to set up camp in tents. We have some if you don’t.” Carl said.

The man smiled. “Thank you. I’m Richard. This is my wife Sandra, and this is my son, Danny.” He said.

My stomach lurched. Danny. I thought back to the conversation I had with Connor earlier. About his crush, his name was Danny. Could it be the same Danny?

“I’m Jason, this is Carl,” I said.

“It’s very nice to meet you,” Richard said.

“Likewise. Now, shall we go to your car?”

Richard, Sandra, and Danny led us to a newer red Dodge Caravan. We all piled in and I drove us over to the RV. When we arrived, I instructed the newcomers to stay outside while Carl went in and informed Camille and Connor of their presence. Once Carl gave the all clear, I brought them in the house. As soon as Camille and Connor laid eyes on the newcomers, they all stopped in their tracks.

“Richard, Sandra.” Camille breathed.

“Oh god, Camille!” Sandra said, she ran forward and wrapped her arms tightly around Camille, who happily returned the embrace.

“Connor!” Danny beamed.

“Danny!” Connor yelled. The two boys ran toward each other and hugged each other tightly.

I was right. It was the same Danny. From what Connor said about Danny, the two of them loved each other, so it was even better that they found each other. It was good that Connor had the opportunity to fall in love because that was what kept us from losing ourselves in this world. At Connor’s age, all he knew was this world, where you fight and run or die. He had very few memories of the world before, which made it even more likely that he would lose his humanity. But finding Danny, finding someone that he could fall in love with, would be the thing that kept Connor from potentially losing his humanity. And for that, for Danny, and for that small town in the middle of bumfuck nowhere Mississippi, I am eternally grateful.  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow! So that was Chapter Sixteen. I'm really excited about Connor and Danny! They're gonna be sooooo cute!! There might even be a couple chapters from their point of view... haven't decided yet. And I cannot believe Jason decided to carry a gun. Totally did not see that coming. Jk, I did, because I wrote it. But he did it for Carl, so it's sweet. But anyways, keep an eye out for Chapter Seventeen! Stay Constitutional! Love y'all!


	17. Reunited

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Jason and Carl reunite with an important person from Carl's past.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bonjour, bitches! Welcome to Chapter Seventeen! Now, I know it has only been a couple of days since I posted the last chapter, but I'm just so excited about where this story is going that I've just been writing almost without stopping. In fact, as soon as this chapter goes up, I'm going to start writing Chapter Eighteen. So, here's Chapter Seventeen! Enjoy!

**Carl’s POV**

It had been about a week since Jason let Richard, Sandra, and Danny into the group, and they seemed to be fitting in just fine. I assumed that the fact they were old friends with Camille and Connor had something to do with it. Jason got along with them, but Jason got along with a lot of people. I didn’t trust them yet. I knew that there was no way in hell that they could bring harm to either me, Jason, Camille, or Connor, but I knew that they could do any number of stupid things to get us all killed. That was why I didn’t trust them.

Jason was driving down the interstate with me in the passenger’s seat. Connor was sitting on his bed, happily talking with Danny, and Camille was sitting at the dinette talking with Sandra. Richard opted to tail us in his family’s minivan.

“Where are we?” Camille asked.

“We are near Shreveport, Louisiana, which is right on the border to Texas and just south of the border to Arkansas. We need to decide here if we are going to risk going through Dallas or if we want to take the safer route up into Arkansas.” I replied.

“What’s wrong with going through Arkansas? Why are we thinking about taking a more dangerous route?” Sandra asked.

“If we go through Arkansas, we have to go east, which is opposite the direction we want to go in,” I replied.

“So Arkansas is safer, but Dallas is faster and uses less gas,” Jason added.

“Although. We could take I-48. It’s a straight shot north into Canada and then we take the Alaska Avenue. Kansas City, Omaha, and Edmonton are the only major cities we would cross through and I’m pretty sure I can find some way to route us around them.” I said, studying the map.

“We should do that, then,” Sandra said.

“Jason? What will we do?” Camille asked.

“Let’s take I-48. But we’ll stop in Shreveport. That way we can maybe fill up some of the empty gas cans and stock up a bit. It would be ideal for that to be our last run at least until we reach Canada.” Jason replied.

“Anything, in particular, we should look for? We got plenty of just about everything in that tiny Mississippi town.” Camille queried.

“Food, water, gas, ammo, any other kind of weapons, and maybe some toys for Connor and Danny,” Jason replied.

Camille nodded and went back to conversing with Sandra. I turned to Jason. He was wearing my hat. I smiled at how cute he was. He was quietly tapping the steering wheel as he drove. He did that every time he drove. He hated silent car rides so since there was no radio, he would break the silence by tapping on the steering wheel as if there was music playing.

“You’re staring at me,” Jason said.

“You make it difficult not to,” I said, still smiling.

Jason looked over at me and smiled. I reached over and took one of his hands from the steering wheel and held it. “Do you want me to take over for a while?” I asked.

“No thanks. We’ll be the town soon enough.”

Once we got to Shreveport, we drove around until we came across a mall, which seemed like a decent place to search. There were also a bunch of stores in the area around the mall. Jason parked in the mall’s parking lot. Richard joined us in the RV.

“Okay. This mall is huge. So, we split off into teams. I’ll go with Carl, Sandra will go with Camille, and Richard, you’ll stay here with Danny and Connor. We meet back here anytime before dark. If anyone isn’t back, we go looking, and no one comes back alone.” Jason instructed.

“Got it,” Camille said.

Sandra and Camille went into the cupboard where we stashed all our guns and ammo and grabbed a gun each, Camille a Glock Gen 3 and Sandra a Beretta M9. We left, parting ways at the RV.

I reached out and took Jason’s hand as we walked. He looked over at me and smiled, his blue eyes shimmering with affection. I swear, that boy was the light of my existence. I don’t even want to think about what kind of person I would be without him in my life. I know it wouldn’t be pretty. He looked so damn cute in my hat with little curly patches of blonde hair sticking out from underneath it. I leaned over and kissed him. I couldn’t resist the urge. He was just too damn cute.

“If only there were words to describe how much I love you,” I said.

Jason’s smile widened. “I’m sure you could come up with some.”

“No. I don’t think I can.”

“Well, however much you love me, I love you twice that.”

“Umm, no. I don’t think that’s possible.”

Jason kissed me. “Agree to disagree.”

“Agree to disagree.”

Once we reached the doors to the mall, I noticed that they were automatic doors, so we would have to force them open. Jason grabbed one door and I grabbed the other.

“On three,” Jason said, “one… two… three.”

We both started pulling as hard as we could. It took a few tries, but we got the door open enough for us to get through.

I drew my gun, and Jason his sword, as we entered the mall. Jason read over the directory. He said that he wanted to waste some time and maybe gather some clothes. He pointed out that he needed new shoes. And it was true. He really needed new shoes. The ones he had were falling apart.

We made our way up to the Macy’s on the other end of the mall. We were walking past an Auntie Anne’s when a walker stumbled out in front of us. It lunged at Jason. He dodged and swung his sword, cutting its legs off. He swung his sword again, slicing its lead in half. He flicked the blood off his sword. Once we reached Macy’s, we searched the place over for walkers. We found a couple of them, but Jason cut them down. Jason sheathed his sword, and I holstered my gun and we started looking through the shoes.

“You’re a really good leader, Jason. I hope you know that.” I said as we looked around.

Jason sighed. “I try, but it’s really hard sometimes. There are a lot of really tough decisions. Sometimes I think I’m not cut out for it.” He picked up a pair of gray Nikes.

“You are definitely cut out for it. You’ve kept us all alive and safe. Hell, you’ve kept us happy. That’s something that’s difficult to come by.” I said.

Jason smiled at me. “Thanks. I needed to hear that.”

I walked up to him, wrapped my arms around him, and kissed him. “It’s the truth.”

Jason tried on the Nikes. “They fit.”

He tossed his old shoes across the store and got up. I decided on a pair of blue New Balances. We picked out some clothes for all of us before leaving that store. Jason looked the directory over again. He said that there was nothing of need from any of the other stores, so we left the mall to search the stores around the mall. Jason pointed out a grocery store across the street. When we looked in, however, it was overrun by walkers. And by overrun, I mean there were probably hundreds.

“We should clear them out,” Jason said.

“Are you kidding? By ourselves? No way we can take all of them out.” I argued.

“We can figure out a way.”

“If we had another person, we could control how fast they came out, then we could take them down one by one, but we only have the two of us.”

Jason paced around, thinking. “There has to be some way for us to get in there.”

“Not that I can think of. It’s not that important that we get in anyways. We have plenty of food.”

The walkers inside slammed against the doors, snarling and pushing to get out, but the doors were locked. That was when it clicked. Someone lured those things in there and locked them inside.

“There’s another one up the road there,” Jason said, pointing to a sign about half a mile down the road.

“Well, we should go before these things get out,” I said.

We turned around to leave; and just as we did, the glass on the doors broke and walkers started pouring out, lunging toward me and Jason.

“Oh shit!” Jason yelled.

We drew our guns started running, turning back to shoot down walkers. Every time we shot one down, ten more took its place. There was no way we could kill them all and we couldn’t run back to the RV or Sandra and Camille couldn’t get back.

“Where do we go?” I asked.

Jason looked around as we ran. “Roof!” He yelled.

He turned toward a building on our right that had a ladder on the side that lead to the roof. We both ran to the ladder and climbed it as quickly as we could. Once we reached the roof, I looked down to see walkers piled up against the wall, and more circled around the building.

“We’re trapped up here.” I breathed.

“Dammit.” Jason breathed.

“It’s the treehouse all over again.”

Jason ran across to the other side and looked down. He beckoned me over. “There aren’t any over here. We can jump. If we do it wrong, it’ll hurt like hell, so we better not do it wrong.”

“How do we do it right?” I asked.

“Tuck and roll. Don’t lock your knees.” Jason replied.

At that, he jumped off the roof, landing on his feet, but leaning in and rolling. He stood up and ran into the cover of the woods. He beckoned for me to jump. My heart started beating at a thousand beats per minute as I looked down. One wrong move and I would be dead. That’s all it took. I took a deep breath and jumped off the roof. I landed on my feet, but I didn’t roll. Pain shot through my leg and I screamed out as I collapsed.  

Jason ran out of the woods and helped me up, allowing me to wrap an arm around him for support. I turned around to see easily over a hundred walkers moving toward us.

“Shit.” I breathed.

We picked up our pace, but we were barely able to keep ahead of them. Jason drew his gun and started emptying his clip into the herd. With each shot, another walker fell. I drew my gun and started shooting them down as best I could, but I wasn’t nearly as good a shot with my left hand, and it was my right arm Jason had over his shoulder, so I didn’t hit nearly as many as Jason did.

“How are we going to get away from these things?” I asked.

“I don’t know,” Jason replied, his voice sounding panicked as he kept firing into the herd.

We kept running. Jason had emptied his clip and he couldn’t reach his extras so there was no way to thin out the herd. Up ahead, I spotted a building. Jason seemed to have seen it too because we started running in that direction. Jason ran up to the back door and tried to pull it open, but it was locked.

“Dammit!” Jason yelled, slamming his fist against the door.

Walkers were closing in around us. Jason set me down against the door and stood in front of me, drawing his sword.

“You sons of bitches might get us, but not without a fight. I’m going to cut down every single one of you until I can’t anymore.” Jason growled.

As walkers lunged, Jason dodged them and cut them down. Walkers surrounded him and I lost sight of him. I drew my gun and fired, gunning down walkers with every shot.

“Jason!” I called. I shot again, this time getting only a click. “Shit,” I whispered.

“Carl! Get out of here!” I heard Jason yell.

“No! I won’t leave you!” I refused.

“Carl! Go!” Jason yelled.

“I’m not leaving, Jason! I can’t lose you!”

“I don’t know how much longer I can hold them off, Carl! You have to go back to the group, tell them what happened, and get everyone up to Alaska!” Jason yelled, his breath labored.

“Dammit,” I whispered.

Tears brimmed in my eyes as I got up. Not because of the physical pain, but because of the pain of knowing that I was about to lose the one person that truly mattered to me in this world. That is true pain. Just as I was about to start running, someone ran up to the herd wielding a sword. This person started slicing down walkers like it was nothing. They were moving so fast I could barely get a good look at them. As I looked closer, however, I recognized her immediately.

Michonne.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh shit, Michonne saves the day again! Legit the perfect moment for her to make her dramatic reentry into the story! Michonne is literally my favorite character, behind Carl of course, so when I decided I wanted to have at least one other character from the show's storyline, I knew it had to be Michonne. I haven't decided if I want to bring in any of the other original characters yet, so if y'all think that I should bring in more of the original cast, let me know in the comments and I will probably bring them in. So yeah, keep an eye out for Chapter Eighteen! Stay Constitutional! Love y'all!


	18. Survival

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Jason and Carl face a formidable challenge in returning to the group. The group experiences a loss.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bonjour, bitches! Welcome to Chapter Eighteen! Like I said before, I've just been so excited about this storyline that I've been writing almost nonstop. Tomorrow, I'm going up to Plattsburgh for my college orientation, and then immediately after that, I'm going to Alaska so I won't have a lot of time to write after today. But I'm going to get as much of Chapter Nineteen written today as I can so hopefully it'll be up soon. Maybe even later today.

**Carl’s POV**

I could not believe my eyes. Michonne was in front of me, fighting the herd off with Jason. I also couldn’t believe that the walkers were completely leaving me alone, but I had my knife in hand just in case.

“Let’s go!” Michonne yelled after she and Jason cut down enough walkers for us to escape.

I got up and limped after her, with Jason close behind me. He threw my arm over his shoulder to support me, and that got me moving faster. Michonne led us into the store. Walkers slammed against the door as soon as we closed it. Michonne pressed her back to the door to keep it closed.

“Find something to keep this door closed!” Michonne commanded.

Jason ran to a nearby rack and pulled off a shelf. He handed it to Michonne, and she slid it between the handles. I let out a breath that I didn’t know I was holding.

“That’ll hold for now.” Michonne breathed.

“Michonne!” I cheered, running forward and hugging her tightly. It was something I wanted to do the moment I saw her, but I couldn’t because she was busy saving our asses.

“Hi, Carl.” Michonne greeted.

“What are you doing here? Where is everyone else?” Jason asked.

“The prison was overrun. Some guys showed up blaming us for the Governor’s death. We didn’t even know he was dead. They smashed right through the fences. We were able to fight them off, but the prison was gone. It was overrun. I don’t know who survived. We were all separated. I was able to find Carol. We found an old RV in Georgia and drove it over here. It’s parked just a few blocks from here, that’s where Carol is.” Michonne explained.

“Oh god, what about my dad?” I whispered.

In that moment, I hated myself for abandoning him because I never got to say goodbye. I betrayed him by abandoning him like I did, and he probably felt that every day. And if he died, he died feeling the pain of my betrayal.

“Hey, I’m sure he’s fine. He is a fighter. No way that would kill him. He’s still out there.” Jason whispered, wrapping his arms tightly around me.

“I need to see him,” I whispered.

“Carl…” Jason began.

“I know, we can’t go back. It’s okay.” I said.

Jason pulled away and placed his hands on my shoulders. “I would do anything for you. If you want to go find your dad, we will turn around and go right back to Georgia. Just say the word.” I said.

I wanted to see Dad, but I knew there was no way we could possibly find him. For Michonne to make it all the way to western Louisiana, the prison must’ve fallen weeks ago meaning he could have literally been anywhere. So there would be no point in going all the way back.

I shook my head. “No, it’s okay,” I leaned in and kissed him, “thank you.”

Jason smiled and nodded. He used his thumb to wipe stray tears from my eyes. “Of course.”

Michonne moved over to the backdoor and unlocked it. Jason and I looked over at her. She peeked outside and beckoned us over. We walked over and looked out the door to see that it was clear. She shut the door again and locked it.

“It’s clear out there. We can run out through here while they’re trying to get in from the front. We run over to my RV and then we’re safe.” Michonne suggested.

Jason shook his head. “Carl hurt his ankle. He can’t run far, and I can’t carry him fast enough to outrun walkers.”

“Okay. Then I’ll go and get the RV and bring it back here.” Michonne suggested.

“That could work. Drive around to the backdoor.” Jason agreed.

Michonne nodded and left. Jason closed and locked the door behind her. He sat back against the door and pulled me close to him. I rested my head on his shoulder and he kissed my forehead.

“I’m glad we found Michonne. She and Carol will be a lot of help and it’s good to have more familiar faces around.” I said.

“Yeah. You know, Michonne was the one who helped me to realize that I liked you.” Jason said.

I looked up at him. “How did she do that?” I asked.

“It was after you kissed me for the first time. I was walking around, and she came up to me. Somehow, she knew that something was upsetting me. And when she asked, I felt comfortable opening up to her even though I’ve never opened up to someone that quickly except for you. And when we talked about it, she helped me realize how I felt about you.” Jason explained.

I smiled. “Yeah, Michonne is good like that. She’s someone you can trust with your life.”

“She saved our asses out of nowhere today. I sure as hell trust her with my life.”

Just a few minutes later, I heard Michonne’s RV drive behind the store, but she kept driving. We got up and ran to the front, where easily four or five dozen walkers were still piled against the door.  Michonne stopped behind the herd and leaned out the window. She pointed up and started mouthing something. After watching her lips, it seemed like she was telling us to go up to the roof.

“Look for a way to the roof. I think the walkers got around back.” I said.

Jason looked around. “There’s a stairwell through that door, I think. The only place it could lead up to the roof.” Jason replied.

We ran over to the doorway and Jason opened it. He was right, there was a stairwell. We ran up the stairs and out another door to the roof. Michonne had moved her RV to the right side, where there was the least number of walkers.

“Jump!” Michonne yelled.

“On three, we jump together,” Jason said, holding out his hand.

I took his hand. “One… two… three.” I said.

On three, we jumped, landing on the roof of the RV. Michonne told us to hang on as she sped off. I looked back to see walkers chasing after us, but they weren’t able to keep up. She stopped after about a mile to let us off the roof and into the RV.

“Hi, Carl. It’s good to see you.” Carol said as Jason and I walked inside.

I walked up to her and hugged her. “It’s good to see you too.”

We sat down on the little couch in the RV, except for Michonne, who was driving.

“I think we should head for the Gulf,” Michonne said.

“We have a group. We’re heading for Alaska.” I explained.

“Alaska. Seems like it could be safe. Safer than most other states. We’re in.” Michonne said.

“We have an RV too. It’s parked at the mall parking lot.” Jason said.

“I think I know how to get there,” Michonne said.

“You guys are joining our group and Jason is our leader. I want to make sure there is no issue here.” I said. I didn’t want them getting there and compromising Jason’s leadership. He was a good leader.

“We’re fine with Jason as the leader. He’s a smart kid.” Carol said.

It took twenty minutes to get back to the mall. I didn’t realize how far we ran until then. Michonne parked her RV next to ours. By the time we got back, the sun had already set. I got out and looked around the parking lot, checking for signs of that small herd that chased us. I didn’t see any signs of it, just a few walkers here and there, nothing out of the ordinary. Michonne, Carol, Jason, and I walked into Jason’s RV, where Camille and Sandra sat at the dinette and Danny and Connor sat on the couch.

“Jason! You’re back!” Danny and Connor screamed in unison, running up to Jason and hugging him tightly. It was funny actually, those two loved Jason almost as much as I did.

“Everyone, this is Carol and Michonne. They were part of my group before I met Jason. Michonne saved me and Jason from a small herd earlier. They will be joining us.” I said.

Sandra and Camille introduced themselves to Michonne and Carol. About half an hour later, Jason was sitting in the driver’s seat, looking at the stars through the parked RV’s windshield, I was in the passenger’s seat, Michonne and Carol sat on the couch, Camille and Sandra sat at the dinette, and Connor and Danny sat on Connor’s bed. Camille had taken a look at my ankle. She said it was sprained but that it would be fine, and then she wrapped a bandage around it.

“They have an RV as well that’s pretty spacious so we can probably ditch that minivan now.” Jason said, swiveling the driver’s seat around to face everyone else.  

“Not as spacious as this, that’s for damn sure. This thing is a palace.” Carol said, looking around.

“Yeah, it was a lucky find.” Jason agreed.

“So we ditch the Minivan and all live in these two RVs?” Sandra queried.

“Yes. Hopefully, we can find a third. But we will all fit in the two.” Jason replied.

“Wait… where’s Richard?” I asked.

“He went out just after we got back. Said he’d be back in a couple hours.” Camille replied.

“There’s a herd out there close by,” Jason said.

“We should go look for him, then,” Sandra stated; her voice riddled with worry.

Jason shook his head. “We can’t risk it. If we get caught in that herd, we’re screwed. We just have to wait for him. If he’s not back by morning, we will go out.”

Sandra nodded. “That’s fair.”

“I’m gonna go up there with a rifle, keep watch for a while. Maybe see if I can spot Richard.” Jason said.

He got up and grabbed a rifle from our gun cabinet. He left the RV and I heard his footsteps on the roof. I decided I would go up there with him. Ever since Sandra, Richard, and Danny joined our group, I didn’t get to spend much time alone with Jason. Sure I got to spend time with him, I spent every waking moment with that boy, but it was always with others around. I never got to spend any alone time with him.

I left the RV and climbed the ladder up to the roof. Jason was lying on his stomach, looking through the rifle’s scope. I laid down next to him and draped an arm and a leg over him, so I was lying half on top of him.

“Hi.” He said warmly.

“Hi.” I greeted, kissing his cheek.

“What are you doing out here?”

“Keeping my boyfriend company.”

Jason smiled. “I’m okay with that.”

“See anything?”

“I see the herd off in the distance. Even if they come through here, they shouldn’t be a threat to us. I don’t see any sign of Richard, though.”

“I’m sure he’s fine.”

Jason shook his head. “I’m not. That man came to two teenage boys, begging for refuge. I don’t know why he thought he could go out on his own and be fine.”

“So he’s probably dead.”

“No… he’s about five hundred feet away,” Jason said, pointing in the direction the gun was pointed.

Jason moved out of the way, allowing me to look down the rifle’s scope. Sure enough, Richard was walking toward us, holding his upper arm. As he walked closer, I saw that he was bleeding.

“C’mon,” Jason said.

We got up and climbed down off the roof. We walked up to Richard. He removed his hand and showed us a decent-sized bite.

“I’m not trying to come in. I’m here to tell you that I’m not coming back. I won’t endanger Danny. I won’t endanger the group. I came here to tell you that I’m going to go out there until I die. Jason, I need you to take care of Danny. He likes you. He listens to you. Promise me you’ll be there for Danny.” Richard said, his breath labored.

Jason nodded. “I will, I promise. Do you want a gun or something to protect yourself with?”

Richard shook his head. “No. I’m going to die, and you need your guns. Goodbye, Jason, Carl.”

Richard turned around and walked away. Jason leaned against the RV and sighed.

“How am I going to tell Sandra and Danny?” He groaned.

“Tell Sandra. Let her tell Danny. Something like this needs to come from his mother.” I replied.

Jason walked into the RV and asked Sandra to come outside. When he told her, she broke down. When she finally calmed down, she thanked Jason and went inside to tell Danny. A few minutes later, Danny came outside, his green eyes brimmed with tears.

“Jason my dad isn’t coming back.” He cried, running forward. Jason knelt and took Danny in his arms, allowing the child to cry into his shoulder.

“I know, Danny, I know,” Jason said softly, “do you want to know what happened?”

Without lifting his head from Jason’s shoulder, Danny nodded.

“He got bit. He came here to tell me that he wasn’t coming back because he didn’t want to put you in danger. He told me to take care of you, and that’s what I’m gonna do. I promise that I will do everything in my power to take care of you, make sure you’re safe and happy, okay?”

“Okay.” Danny's voice shook as he talked.

I heard snarling behind us. It wasn’t the sound of a single walker, it was much louder. I turned around to see a herd of thousands stumbling toward us. It was easily ten times bigger than the herd that chased Jason, Michonne and I. It was the biggest herd I had ever thing.

“Oh shit, Jason!” I yelled.

Jason stood up and looked behind us. He widened his eyes, stood up, and grabbed Danny. “Into the RV, let’s go!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A herd of thousands will tear that RV down in seconds, so what will Jason and Carl do? How will Jason get the group out of this one? Oh, the questions we must ask... All shall be answered in Chapter Nineteen. Stay Constitutional! Love y'all!


	19. Dallas

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which the group makes their way through Dallas.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bonjour, bitches! Welcome to Chapter Nineteen! Now, I know it's been quite a while since I've posted a chapter, and for that I'm sorry. However, I've started college! It's actually really great. My schedule is pretty light and I've made quite a few friends. I also got a job. I was hired on the spot, which I think is super cool. Anyways, I hope that with my light schedule that I'll be able to post pretty often. But I know that I won't be able to post super often but I'll try to keep up it. Anyways, here's Chapter Nineteen! Enjoy!

**Jason’s POV**

I pulled Danny and Carl into the RV and closed the door, locking it behind me. I ran over to the driver’s seat, turned the RV on, and sped off away from the herd.

“Jason, what’s going on?” Camille asked.

“Huge herd and I mean HUGE. Bigger than anything I’ve ever seen.” Carl replied.

“The herd that chased us earlier must’ve combined with another, much larger one,” Michonne said.

“Yeah. Even worse than that, the herd is blocking the state highway we need to be on. So it looks like we have no choice but to head through Dallas.” I said.

“Can’t we go back through Arkansas?” Camille asked.

“No. We would need to take the same road as the other route.” I replied.

“So we’re going through Dallas?” Carol asked.

I sighed. “We’re going through Dallas.”

“Can we just speed through?” Sandra asked.

“We can try but the roads will probably be clogged up with walkers and old cars. I doubt we will be able to make it through on the highways. I wouldn’t be surprised if we have to go directly through the city.” I replied.

I pulled off onto a dirt side road and shut off the engine. “We should all get some rest. We’ll need our strength for tomorrow and maybe even the next couple days.” I said.

Carl and I went back into our bedroom, leaving everyone else to set up for bed. “I’m worried, Jason,” Carl confessed. I assumed he was talking about Dallas.

“I know, me too,” I said, lying down on the bed.

Carl lied down next to me, taking me in his arms. I rested my head on his chest. “If Dallas is anything at all like Atlanta was, I don’t think we will survive.” He said.

I looked up at him. “What was Atlanta like?” I asked.

Carl sighed. “There were huge herds everywhere. You couldn’t turn a corner without running into one. And they were so large that they would take up the entire width of the road and span out for hundreds of yards. Going into Atlanta was suicide. And I think Dallas is going to be the same.”

“We will make it through it. I know we will. It might be hard, and it might take a long time, but we will make it through.” I assured him.

Carl reached his head down and kissed me lightly. “With you leading us, I know we will.”

It still felt weird to me, you know, being the leader. I was fourteen years old for God’s sake! I didn’t know shit about keeping a group of people alive and relatively safe. It was actually really stressful. Especially when you were leading them to a place that very well could kill them.

I smiled. “With you leading too. I can’t do this by myself.”

“Well, I’m here with you every step of the way,” Carl said.

“I wish there were words to describe how much I love you. And I’m totally serious. You have been so great to me since we met. You’ve been the only person I can truly rely on. I love you more than life itself and that will never change. You are my universe, my world, my everything. You, Carl Grimes, are the reason I wake up in the morning a happy boy. You are the reason I got to bed at night feeling like everything is right in the world even though nothing is right with the world, except for you. You have no idea what you’ve done for me, Carl. I was thinking of killing myself not long before we met. But the moment I laid eyes on you, all of those thoughts vanished. You saved my life, Carl. You made me alright again. I love you with all my heart and soul and with every fiber of my being. You are the love of my life.” I said.

Carl’s blue eyes shone with love and affection as he leaned down and kissed me softly. This kiss was like none other. Every single kiss I shared with Carl was like none other. Every kiss I shared with Carl was beyond passionate. But this was different. This one was like every single emotion we felt throughout all our time together was poured into that single kiss.

“I don’t have words. I just love you too much, Jason. You saved my life as much as I saved yours. After my mom died, I felt like I didn’t have anything to live for, but you gave me something to live for.” Carl said.

I snuggled up closer to him and kissed him softly. “Goodnight, Jason. I love you.”

“Goodnight, Carl. I love you too.”

The next morning, Carl and I sat at the dinette cleaning our guns while Camille drove and Sandra navigated. Connor and Danny were sitting on the floor, watching a movie, and Michonne and Carol were talking amongst themselves on the couch. It was still weird to me that we had the option to watch movies and shit like that; you know, shit from before the world ended. Hell, the hot water in the shower still took me by surprise.

“How are we gonna get through Dallas? What’s the plan?” Carl asked.

I shrugged. “Before the world ended, I had never left Alaska. I’ve never even been in this part of the country. From studying the maps, I think we can go around it on state highways or something.” I replied.

“No, the best way to go to the city on I-20 and then through the city on State Highway 80, then head out west on I-30 East,” Camille replied.

“But doesn’t that take us directly through the city?” Sandra asked, looking at the map.

“Yes, but the highways are on bridges. We should be fine all the way through.” Camille replied.

“Then that’s the route we’ll take,” I said.

As we drove into Dallas, I ordered someone to take watch on the roof with a rifle as we drove. I also volunteered for the job, but Carl wouldn’t let me go up there unless he went too, so both of us lied on the roof, surveying the road through our rifle scopes. If we found any reason to stop the RV, we were to reach down to the windshield and knock on it a few times. That was how we were supposed to signal the RV to stop.

“I really hope we can breeze through on this bridge. I’d really like to keep from going through that city. From what I’m seeing, it’s worse than Atlanta down there.” Carl said, surveying the city streets with his rifle’s scope.

I swung my rifle around and checked out the street below us. “Oh my God. There is no way we’d make it through that herd.” I said.

“I’m not seeing any issue with the bridge ahead. We should be fine.” Carl noted. I set my rifle down and wrapped an arm and a leg around Carl and rested my head against his shoulder.

Carl widened his eyes and started banging on the windshield. Camille slammed on the brakes and Carl and I almost flew off the roof. Camille ran out of the RV and looked up at us.

“What is it?” She asked, sounding panicked. Sandra, Danny, Connor, Michonne, and Carol ran out to join Camille in finding out why we stopped.

“Bridge is out. We have to loop back and go through the city to the next onramp.” Carl replied.

“You’ve got to be kidding.” Sandra groaned.

“We should loop back around and drive through the city to the nearest onramp. That way we’re all safe from walkers and we can move around faster.” I said.

“Those streets are full of cars. I don’t think we are going to be able to navigate the RV through them. We could end up more lost.” Michonne argued.

“Sending people down there isn’t going to change how well we can navigate the RV. If we can find a way through without the RV, we can find it with the RV. It’s too dangerous otherwise.” I replied.

“Sandra, will you navigate for me?” Camille asked.

Sandra nodded and followed Camille back into the RV.

“Carl and I will keep lookout on top,” I said.

Michonne went back into the RV and Carl and I climbed back on top. Camille turned the RV around, and we headed towards the closest offramp.

**Carl’s POV**

I looked over at Jason. He was staring down the scope of his rifle, examining the road ahead. There weren’t words for how sexy he was when he was focused, or just how sexy he was in general; ESPECIALLY when he was wearing my hat, which he was.

Jason looked over at me and smiled. “What?” He asked.

“You’re just… so hot. I can’t stop looking at you.” I replied.

Jason scooted closer to me, threw a leg across my back, and rested his chin on my shoulder. I smiled and closed my eyes, taking in the moment, feeling Jason on me, feeling his breath on my cheek. There wasn’t anywhere else I would rather have been.

The RV stopped long enough for Michonne to climb up there with us. “Comfortable?” She quipped as she sat down behind us.

“Yeah,” Jason muttered. I could hear his smile in his voice.

I heard Michonne chuckle. She reached over and grabbed Jason’s rifle, since he wasn’t using it, and surveyed the area around the RV.

“Hey, that was my rifle.” Jason pouted.

“You weren’t even using it. You’re too busy lying on your boyfriend.” Michonne said.

“I got priorities.” Jason quipped.

“The right ones too, and don’t tell him otherwise because I benefit from this,” I said.

“They’re the right priorities, Jason,” Michonne said.

We all laughed. I was glad that things were running smoothly. I was sure that as soon as we got into the city, we would immediately have been met by herds of walkers, but the city was quiet, almost too quiet. It was nothing like this in Atlanta.

“We need to be on our guard. I have a bad feeling.” Jason said.

“It’s way too quiet out here. That much I do know.” Michonne agreed.

I raised my rifle and scanned the area ahead of us. I saw a walker walking around up there, but there was just one. I decided not to shoot it, because shooting it would only draw out more, but I kept my scope on it. I saw another stumble out into the intersection behind the one walker, followed by another, and another, and another.

“There are a bunch of walkers ahead. Not enough to stop us though.” I informed Jason and Michonne.

“We’ll keep an eye on them,” Michonne said.

“Well, I’d be able to do that if Michonne hadn’t taken my damn rifle,” Jason grumbled.

“Deal with it, Jason. You weren’t even using it.” Michonne said, nudging him lightly with her foot.

As we approached the intersection, the sounds of the walkers growling grew louder. Michonne and I both had our rifles raised and Jason drew his Glock.

As we pulled up to the intersection, walkers began pouring out from the street to our right. There were easily thousands of them, it was easily four times as big as the herd that forced us to go through Dallas. The three of us started firing into the herd, downing walkers left and right as they surrounded the RV on all sides, banging on the windows and doors and trying to reach the three of us on the roof.

“What do we do?” Jason asked.

I couldn’t answer the question, and neither could Michonne. We were safe from the walkers on top of the RV and everyone inside was safe, but we couldn’t move. We couldn’t get back into the RV and those inside couldn’t get out. Our only hope was for the walkers to thin out, but with the size of the herd, we all knew that wasn’t gonna happen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wonder what it is that attracts herd to Jason and them. It honestly makes no sense. They just keep running into herd after herd. This one is the biggest, though. I guess we will have to see how they get out of this one. But we all know how smart Jason is, and how smart the others are, so hopefully, everything will be alright. Keep an eye out for Chapter Twenty! Stay Constitutional! Love y'all!


	20. Trapped

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Jason finds a way for the group to make it through the herd. A new addition is made to the group.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bonjour, bitches! Welcome to Chapter Twenty! I've been fitting in writing around my school and work schedule as much as I can but it's difficult. College is great though. I was hospitalized yesterday for a caffeine overdose... can you believe that? Who the hell overdoses on caffeine? I didn't know that was a thing until I did it. But whatever. I'm fine now. So here's Chapter Twenty! Enjoy!

**Carl’s POV**

Walkers surrounded us on all sides. We were just about out of bullets and we hadn’t even made a dent in the herd. Every time we killed one, five more took its place. We were totally trapped. If we tried to move the RV, walkers would pile under it and we would be stuck. Driving out was not an option. The only thing we could do was wait and hope that they dispersed. Problem was, though, that with a herd that size, it would take too long for them to disperse. I would say a couple weeks.

“We need to get back into the RV somehow. We’re completely cut off from the rest of the group.” Jason said, looking around us.

“I don’t see any way we can do that. Walkers are piled on all sides.” Michonne said.

I looked around, trying to find a way off the roof. I spotted a car that looked like it was in good condition just a few hundred feet away. “If we can set off the alarm on that car over there, we should be able to draw them away,” I said.

“We would need a lot more than just one car alarm to draw all these walkers away.” Jason pointed out.

I looked around. There were other cars along all the other intersections. I counted six on the road to our left, five on the road behind us, and eight on the road in front of us.

“There are plenty of cars around us,” I said.

“How are we going to set off the alarms without making too much noise? Because shooting the cars will make too much noise and it won’t draw as many of them away.” Jason asked.

“I don’t know. I’d say a bow would work but we don’t have one of them.” Michonne said.

I looked at my boyfriend, who was surveying the area. “I think I can get across the herd.” He said.

“Are you fuckin crazy? No way I’m letting you risk that!” I snapped. I couldn’t risk losing the love of my life. I couldn’t lose him it would kill me.

“Carl, you have to trust that I know what I’m doing. It’s pretty thin behind us. If I jump it just right, I should be able to make it across.” Jason argued.

I shook my head. “And if you don’t time it right, those walkers will tear you to shreds. Plus, what do you plan to do once you get across, hmm? Take on that entire herd by yourself? You’re good with that sword, Jason, but no one is good enough to take on a herd.”

“I will find some way to draw the walkers away. I’ve done this kind of thing before. I promise I’ll be fine.” Jason said.

“I can’t lose you, Jason. I need you.” I said, holding back tears.

Jason wrapped his arms around my waist and kissed me passionately. “You won’t lose me. I’m gonna get to the other side of that herd and I’m going to find a way to draw them away and then I’ll be back.” He said.

I nodded. “Okay. Be safe. I love you.” I said, kissing Jason and tightening my grip on his waist, trying to savor the moment because I knew that it could very well be my last.

“I love you too,” Jason said.

With that, he walked to the front end of the RV and bolted for the back end. When he reached the very edge, he dove into the herd.

**Jason’s POV**

I leaped right over the herd and landed on the ground behind it, rolling before jumping to my feet. I was kind of impressed that I made it that easily. I drew my sword as a few walkers turned around and stumbled toward me.

I smiled. “Yeah?! You want some of this delicious human flesh? Hmm? Come get it, fuckers!” I said, laughing.

I was finally enjoying fighting walkers again. The enjoyment went away for a while after I got with Carl because I was terrified that one of them would get me and take me away from him. I guess that since I was confident in my abilities, I could finally enjoy killing these things without the fear of Carl losing me.

The first walker lunged, diving for my right arm. I dodged it and swung my sword, cutting its head right in half. A second walker lunged at me, reaching for my neck. I cut its arm off and stabbed the walker right between the eyes.

I sheathed my sword and sprinted away from the herd, fearing that I would attract to many of them to me. After about fifteen blocks, I stopped to catch my breath and look around for something to draw the walkers away from the RV. Setting off the car alarms wasn’t an option anymore since I wasn’t on the RV anymore so setting off car alarms would draw the walkers toward me. I wondered if placing speakers in buildings in every direction would draw them away. They would have to be powerful speakers. And it would be better if I could draw the walkers in one direction, so the RV has a clear road to go down.

I kept walking in the opposite direction of the RV, looking for any kind of store that would have big speakers. As I was walking, I spotted a car that appeared to be in good condition. It was a Prius. I would date it at about 2008. I walked up to it and looked inside. I cheered internally when I saw the keys inside. Having a car would make this whole process quicker and easier. I got in and drove off down the road.

About twenty blocks from where I found the car, I found an electronics store. I parked the car and went inside. As I predicted, everything was still pretty much untouched. After all, who needed electronics in the apocalypse?

I looked around for the biggest speakers I could find, when I realized one giant flaw in my plan. I had nothing to play anything out of.

“Oh my god, I am so dumb,” I muttered, burying my face in my hands.

I looked around the store for anything that I could use to play something from. I checked behind the counter, but I didn’t find anything. The place had CD’s but nothing to play them out of, nothing I could hook up to multiple speakers, anyways. I let out a huge breath that I didn’t even know I was holding when I saw a giant stereo system. With this stereo system, I would have to hook up a bunch of giant speakers and play it in the middle of the road. The only problem with that is escaping. I had no idea how I would be able to get away before the herd made its way over. I would have to figure that out when I got there.

I grabbed the stereo system and dragged it out to the car, placing it in the trunk. I made multiple trips grabbing as many giant speakers as I could.

I loaded up about seven giant speakers into the car before I decided that it was enough. Instead of going to a whole other road to draw them away, I just drove about thirty blocks toward the RV, leaving about fifteen blocks between me and the RV.

One by one, I grabbed the giant speakers and set them side by side with the stereo in the middle. I inserted some random CD that I found and cranked the volume as high as it would go. As soon as I pressed play and the music started playing so loud, I swear I almost passed out, I sprinted back to the car and sped away. I figured I would loop around the herd to get back to the RV.

I stopped at a convenience store on the way back to gather some supplies and let the herd thin out a bit before I went back. The place was pretty much empty. People had done a really good job of clearing it out. I was able to gather up some water bottles and a couple of cans of food.

Just as I was about to leave, I heard a crash from the back of the store, where all the stock was. I had just been in there, there was no one back there. I drew my sword and slowly crept back there. As I walked in, I noticed someone’s shadow over in the corner behind some empty boxes. Whoever it was back there couldn’t have been more than ten years old.

I heard sobs coming from the child. I walked up to the corner and looked behind the boxes. Sure enough, a little boy was curled up, hiding and crying.

“Hey, hey. It’s okay. I’m not gonna hurt you.” I said gently, kneeling down to look at the child.

The little boy looked at me, his wide brown eyes glistening with tears. His curly brown hair was damp from sweat and his face was dirty.

The boy sniffled. “You’re not?” He asked.

“No, I’m not. I’m Jason, what’s your name?” I asked.

“J-Jake.” He replied.

“Hi, Jake. Are you alone?” I asked him.

“I was k-kidnapped by a mean man. H-he beat me and wouldn’t let me eat and forced me to do bad things.” Jake said, starting to cry harder.

“Hey, hey, it’s okay. He can’t get you now. I’m gonna protect you, okay?” I said.

Jake looked at me. “W-why?” He asked, his brown eyes questioning.

“Because he has no right to do those things. You don’t deserve to be treated like this.” I replied.

Jake smiled. “No one has ever told me that before.”

“Well, it’s true. Now c’mon. We should get out of here. I have an RV with other people and a couple of kids about your age. They’re seven.” I said.

I helped Jake off the floor, and we headed out of the stockroom and into the store. Just as we were about to enter the main store area, the door opened and a couple of guys walked in.

“Oh, Jake! We know you’re in here. You’re in big trouble kid. Running away is against the rules, and you know what happens when you break the rules.” One of the men called, his voice raspy like he had been a heavy smoker most of his life.

Jake yelped and hid behind me. I drew my Glock. “Turn around and leave, now. Jake’s not going anywhere with you.” I growled.

“Oh really? And just who do you think you are?” The man with the raspy voice barked.

“Cover your ears,” I whispered to Jake. I stood straight up and pointed my gun at one of the men’s heads. “The last person you’ll ever speak to,” I said before firing. The bullet went straight through the man’s head and he collapsed, dead. The second man ducked down.

“Let us go and we let you go,” I said.

The man scoffed. “You’re not leaving here alive.”

“Your funeral,” I said.

I crept around the shelf and peeked around the other side. The man was facing away from me. I raised my gun and shot him twice. He fell, dead.

“I’m sorry you had to see that,” I said to Jake.

“That’s okay. I’ve seen worse. I’m just glad they’re dead and that I’m not going back with them.” Jake replied.

We ran out of the store and to my car. I drove off towards the RV. Thankfully the herd had thinned down to essentially nothing in the time that I was in that store. I parked on the side of the road and Jake followed me as we ran into the RV.

“Jason! You’re okay!” Carl exclaimed as he ran over to me and kissed me.

“Yeah, I’m fine. I told you I’d be fine.” I said.

“And I knew you would, but that doesn’t mean that I wasn’t worried,” Carl responded.

“Who’s the kid?” Michonne asked from the dinette.

“This is Jake. He just escaped from a group that did some pretty terrible things to him. I killed two of their men, so we need to get the hell out of here before they find us.” I replied.

“It’s good to meet you, Jake. Come with me. We’ll get you situated so Jason can get us out of here.” Carol said, getting up from her spot across from Michonne.

Jake nodded and went to the back with Carol and I sat in the driver’s seat and continued down the road. Carl joined me after a few minutes.

“Jake is really getting along with Danny and Connor.” He said.

I smiled. “That’s good. I figured he would. He’s a good kid.”

“He is. I can tell he’s gonna fit in fine.” Carl agreed.

“I knew he would,” I said, “we need as many people as we can get. This trip is going to be difficult and once we get to Alaska, we want to have as many people as possible to make building a community easier.”

Carl nodded. “Where are we headed next?”

“North as soon as we get out of the city. So, for now, we go West.” I said.

After about half a mile, I found an intact onramp. As soon as we were on the highway, I sped up and Dallas blurred by us. It didn’t take long to get out of the city. I was thankful that we didn’t run into any other issues. About a mile outside the city, I took the onramp onto the northbound Interstate and we continued on our long journey to Alaska.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank God they made it out! That herd was scary and that jump Jason did was impressive! Jason overall is pretty impressive, wouldn't you say? He is by far the best character I have ever created. He's brave, he's smart, he's sweet, and he's loyal. Jason is the perfect person for the most part. He can be a bit irrational sometimes but things usually end up okay. So anyway, keep an eye out for Chapter Twenty-One! Stay Constitutional! Love y'all!


End file.
